Return to Normalcy
by Yay-Watermelons
Summary: After a war, how do you go back to ordinary life, especially when forced to live with a former enemy? Bobby, Rogue, Kitty and John struggle to deal with the events of X3.
1. Ch 1 Bobby the hero?

**A/N: Okay, so there have been seven million stories about this topic since X3 came out making me loath to share my in some ways inferior version. But on the off chance that someone other than me may enjoy this . . . here goes nothing. I don't own X-Men yada, yada, yada.**

One might think that after the battle at Alcatraz everyone all lived happily ever after. Sure, the X-Men were mourning the deaths of our fallen comrades, but the good guys had won! In fact, Bobby knew that if this were a Hollywood ending – he indeed had ended up the hero. He had defeated the villain in John and even ended up getting the girl – Rogue could finally touch and he was the one benefiting the most.

However, none of that quite explained why he felt like crap most of the time.

Watching the most recent in a long parade of substitute physics teachers, he once again realized how much they really had lost in the last week. He missed the professor, everyone did in their own way, although, granted some more than others. Whether it was shameful or not, Bobby missed the stability that he had offered more than the man himself. Xavier had been a once in a lifetime hero to him, like getting to work with Martin Luther King or Abraham Lincoln or the other men Storm had quoted in her eulogy, but heroes were a bit hard to relate to. It wasn't surprising to him that his own family's betrayal though less recent stung far more than the loss of his mentor. While it felt slightly unloyal, it was none the less honest.

While Mr. Ross valiantly tried to get his sound wave model to work correctly, Bobby continued to analyze the ways he had taken Xavier for granted. Not only had he been recruiting a superhero team to save the world and in his case and others doing so personally; he had also handled all the budgeting and staffing of the school. Which was not an easy task as he knew Ms. Monroe was finding out the hard way.

Clearly, it was one thing to talk about keeping the school open and another thing entirely to do so when half of the faculty had been vaporized or worse. Warren had stayed on to help, but being only barely out of college there was a limit to his own expertise. Logan had surprisingly stuck around this time, but he too was limited by his skill level in dealing with all things teenaged. And for some reason, it was hard to convince substitutes to stay – even if they had been told they were to keep their powers strictly under wraps in front of the subs.

At the front of the class, Kitty had taken pity on the poor substitute and joined in his ministrations to the machine. Surprising no one, she had it working within minutes.

"Ah, yes, thank you Miss Pryde," Mr. Ross said patting her on the back. "I could have done it of course, but it's always nice to let a student get some real 'hands-on' experience don't you think?"

Kitty smiled for a moment – a genuine 'Can you believe this guy?' smile – looking up instinctively at Bobby to see if he shared the moment with her.

Bobby looked quickly away, not meeting her eye and therefore missing the way her face fell as she returned to her seat. Bobby wouldn't let himself share in any more private jokes with her. He couldn't.

Fortunately for all involved Mr. Ross decided to end class on a high note, dismissing them a bit early.

"Well, that was a relief," Rogue – now Marie – said, lacing her fingers in his as they strode out into the hallway.

Bobby tore his gaze from where Kitty was gathering her books, her hair obscuring her facial expression, to glance down at their intertwined hands. "What?" He asked confused. "Right."

Marie noticed the direction of his gaze and smiled shyly. He couldn't seem to avoid the rumors, so it was hard to believe that she hadn't heard them as well. Even if she could now touch others she was still the same person inside that she had always been. Hesitant, afraid of rejection, completely trusting.

'Naïve,' Bobby's conscience added despite himself. 'Completely unaware of how close to accurate the rumors about Kitty and Bobby were – of what almost happened.'

Nothing had happened, so nothing had _almost_ happened, Bobby tried to convince himself for the millionth time. If Ro-Marie – hadn't have gotten the cure he still would have come back from San Francisco to work things out with her. Or at least he thought he would have.

Again, the truth was somewhat less noble – namely that Bobby was confused. He liked to think that this was what was meant to be, that the comradarie he felt with Kitty was just a brotherly type affection. That Marie meant everything to him and always would. That anything else had just been the stress of the heat of a battle that his true love had not been a part of – a mixture of shared grief and fear combining into something he had mistook for something else.

But just like keeping the school open, it was a lot easier to say than to believe.

"You okay, snowball," Marie asked gently, seeming to realize his attention was not fully – rather was not at all – on her.

"Yeah. Just thinking," he replied quietly. "Look you mind if I bail out on dinner? I'm not particularly hungry."

"Sure," Marie smiled, albeit a bit sadly. Truth was meals were now mostly somber affairs, filled with old memories and shadowy presences. It didn't take much for someone to want to opt out of them.

As she walked away, the shadow of her smile haunted Bobby. 'One more thing to feel guilty over,' he thought angrily.

It wasn't _his_ fault she got the cure. Or it shouldn't be at least. It was her decision. She had said as much and it had to have been. There were other people she wanted to touch, surely. His flirtation – _friendship –_ he corrected violently – with Kitty wasn't responsible for Marie's decision.

At the same time, it would be stupid to think that he hadn't at least factored somewhat into the equation. Or if not him specifically than the category of "boyfriend" in general had. And so whether he would have figured things out with her or not would never actually be answered. He had no choice but to stay with her after such a sacrifice. Even if he did want it and he hoped greatly he had, it was no longer what he had chosen. And so the question of "what would have happened had Rogue not gotten the cure?" was sent instead to the same what if land of possibilities that tormented each of them every night. "What if I had stopped John from leaving?" "What if I had found Rogue at the clinic?" "What if I had never come to the institute?"

It had to be better than what was tormenting Logan. "What if I could have saved her?"

Bobby had avoided Kitty since the return from San Francisco and the reunion with Rogue. While it was easier than the guilt he felt over whatever Rogue might have misconstrued and in truth easier to ignore than decipher whatever feelings were developing for Kitty that may or may not have been more than friendship, inside Bobby knew it was completely cowardly and beyond lame to just shut her out. Instead of relieving guilt, he was rapidly discovering that each snub of his merely added to his overall guilt quotient each time Kitty's eyes reflected her disappointment and confusion.

Which in turn made him angry. Angry at himself for being a coward, angry at Kitty both for trusting him and for making him feel things that he shouldn't and angry at Rogue for removing any choice he may have had.

All in all, Bobby was not entirely sure this was what happily ever after was supposed to feel like.

Reaching his room, he realized his thoughts had got him too worked up to do much more than beat something senseless. Fortunately living at Mutant High there were plenty of punching bags in imaginative shapes and sizes just below his dormitory.

He hadn't gotten past the first floor when he heard the muffled voices of people shouting. Nothing new there, it seemed like everyone had taken for granted the effect a telepathic headmaster had had on conflict resolution. What was new was the girl that sat on the bottom stair, knees curled up to her chest defensively staring at the closed door. The very girl he had tried so hard the past week to avoid.

"He doesn't belong here!" Logan's voice snarled through the thick wood.

"Well, then, where does he belong, Logan? What is our purpose if not to help mutants who have lost their way? He's just a child!" Ororo's voice was half pleading, half indignant.

"Yeah and we're not juvy hall, 'Ro. Do you forget what he's done?"

"I'm supposed to have a meeting in there in five minutes, you know," Kitty's voice drifted up to him.

Maybe she wasn't talking to him. Maybe she was just thinking out loud. He hadn't made any noise, he could probably slip away, go back to his room and work out later. Then again, she did have an uncanny way of reading his mind.

Kitty turned around to face him with a small smile – more tentative than usual, although he couldn't say he blamed her for that all things considered. "You were quiet enough, but there's a little chill to your step you can't completely erase when you're upset."

She turned around pulling her knees tight against her once more, shuddering.

Bobby tried to control the unconscious "chill" he was sending out, but couldn't completely do the same to his emotions. "Yeah, well, good luck with your meeting, I was just on my way to work out."

He strode by her without looking her way once, although he could feel her eyes follow him as he rounded the stairwell.

"Well, well, well . . ." a familiar voice drawled, although it was completely without the accompanying clicks he was so used to connecting with that voice. "You always did have a way with the ladies."

Instantly all semblance of controlling his powers went out the window and the room dropped a few degrees.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Bobby asked disdainfully, turning to see his former roommate. John was lounging against the side of the staircase, looking completely unconcerned about his fate. Bobby realized belatedly that the teen standing in front him was the cause of the argument reverberating through the mansion. An attempted murderer was in the school and not 10 feet from where Kitty sat, completely unaware, Bobby realized stiffening. Considering the last time he had seen his old teammate he had been throwing flaming cars at them, Bobby was pretty much squarely on Logan's side on this one.

"Well, it just so happens that no one seems to know what to do with me," John smiled wryly. "Can't force cure me now that you all have got the kid. Can't put me in a maximum security jail as I'm not yet 18 – think of the press! Can't keep me in any other facility."

"So you're _here_?" Bobby's voice was incredulous. John had tried to kill him and Peter, not to mention the entirety of the faculty and they were actually considering letting the fox sleep in the hen house.

"Bobby?" Kitty had finally realized that he hadn't left the vicinity and come up behind him. "John?" She gasped, taking a step back involuntarily.

"Hey, pretty kitty," he taunted. "How have you been?"

It was completely illogical, considering the girl in question could phase and was, therefore, virtually invulnerable, but Bobby had never been so grateful that he was standing between John and another person.

"Leave her alone!" he shouted.

"Awww, isn't that cute? Sticking up for the little girl? But my, my, whatever would your girlfriend say? Or did she realize what an uptight ass you were and leave you?" John continued smirking quietly.

"Shut up!" This time the voice was Kitty's, quiet and full of steel. "I'm not a little girl and you have no right to insult Bobby. He and Rogue have been through enough without you to -"

Bobby turned around, effectively silencing her. "Kitty, go back to your room. Logan can come get you when it's time for your meeting. You shouldn't be here."

Kitty opened and closed her mouth like a fish, no sound coming out before turning and starting to leave. She didn't need to say anything, her eyes said it all.

Bobby felt like he was about an inch tall. That hadn't come out right at all. He had wanted to warn her and instead sounded like a controlling father. All he knew was that he wanted her as far away from John as possible. John was dangerous. Surely, she would see that he was only trying to protect her?

"Smooth, Drake." John laughed as Bobby despondently watched Kitty walk away. He walked right up to Bobby and slung his arm around his shoulder. At one time it would have been the most natural thing in the world, two buddies hanging out and checking out a girl as she strode away.

Too much had changed and Bobby pushed John roughly away.

Something flashed in John's eyes and he jumped right up in Bobby's face. "You want to go? Rematch, _Iceman_."

"I'd remind you that fighting is not allowed in the halls. Or anywhere else for that matter." A stern voice broke in. Instantly the two boys separated, turning to where Ororo had exited the room, Logan backing up her words with his glare. "This much at least, has not changed."

"Does that mean the whole 'safe place for mutants' has?" John muttered under his breath.

"Not yet, Mr. Allerdyce. I will not allow Charles' dream to die with him just yet," Ororo said calmly in a voice that silenced Bobby's arguments before they began.

"Come, Mr. Allerdyce. Some things have changed since your last visit and there are some restrictions that we have been instructed to relay to you," she continued, gliding up the stairs.

With one last glare at Bobby, John followed her, taking care to keep a wide berth of Logan. Kitty, Bobby saw with dismay had _not_ exactly taken his advice, but instead retreated halfway up the stairs. John paused to murmur something towards her that caused her to blush, making Bobby see red before Ororo once more called to him to keep up.

"Half-pint!" Logan called, noticing Kitty for the first time. "You forget our meeting?" Kitty started to protest, but Logan just kept going. "Get down, here, pronto!"

She followed him into the office, but not before turning to glare at Bobby. So much for ignoring her. Bobby had the sinking sensation as the door slammed firmly shut behind her that he had just made things between himself and Kitty much, much worse.


	2. Ch 2 John settles in

**A/N: Thanks for all the kind encouragement. Some mild swearing below - beware. John doesn't strike me as the type to censor himself.**

"He doesn't belong here!" Logan's voice even muffled, had an intensity to it that few others had. Magneto did in lower tones. Xavier had in his own way. None of the men were any that John Allerdyce cared to have discussing him in such tones. Not that he had much choice in the matter anyway.

'To the winner go the spoils,' Magneto might have quoted from some obscure text and no doubt what the loser got. Jack shit, apparently. Worse than that, if he had to actually spend any time here. Well, John was quickly learning what it was like to have been part of a losing side of a war. While Magneto had somehow slipped off into the dark and was no doubt at large, granted without his "powers of magnetism" to protect him, John had not been afforded that luxury, being knocked out by his former "best friend."

John unconsciously rubbed the part of his forehead where the bruise was just now beginning to subside. Fortunately, he was not yet 18, although barely under that limit, and the various courts were not eager to have a media circus about brainwashed mutant children being tried as adults. Apparently Magneto's powers also included mind control – or so the newsmedia would have you believe. Better to have one mind-controlling evil mutant vanquished that admit the possibility that government policies were creating large scale unrest they must figure. He logically knew that he had gotten off lightly, but inside the humiliation of having his freedom completely stripped was beginning to wear on him. He realized he was fortunate that he hadn't been vaporized like so many of his comrades nor "cured" like his former leader. But standing against the grand staircase at the entrance of the mansion that had once been home it was hard to remember all that.

To be taken, here of all places. Back to where it all began.

"Well, then, where does he belong, Logan? What is our purpose if not to help mutants who have lost their way? He's just a child!" Ororo's words caused John to cringe.

That had always been the problem here. At Xavier's, he was just a child. Gifted, to be sure, but one of many and to be protected and coddled. They didn't realize that John had ceased to be a child a long time ago. Right about the time his family threw him out when he played with the candles on his birthday cake in a new way. Living on the streets, even for the few short weeks before Xavier had turned up, had had a way of making you grow up fast. Despite his own powers, the professor never seemed to understand that, to wrapped up in his "dream."

"Yeah and we're not juvy hall, 'Ro. Do you forget what he's done?"

John hadn't forgotten; couldn't forget. He had rained fire from the sky with all the sound and fury of the Apocalypse come to life. For one glimmering second he had been as close to a god as possible, all that Magneto had promised him. And here he was – without his igniters, without his old lighter, without even frickin' matches.

A voice drifted from the stairs nearby, female and familiar. John couldn't quite place it, but knew it belonged to one of his former classmates. He wasn't exactly eager for a reunion all things considered and shrank back further into the shadow of the staircase. He doubted there would be a favorable reaction to the prodigal son returning home.

The voice that responded to the girl however, was beyond familiar to John. It was the voice of the golden boy of the Institute. The boy who got anything he ever wanted on a silver platter: grades, girls, well-timed secondary mutations . . . Bobby Drake.

Although, his voice was a bit more strained than normal, John realized with a bit of glee. The past week having his future decided behind closed doors in hushed tones had taught the impetuous teen more about listening than any lesson in any classroom and he detected a bit of _something_ in his former roommate's voice. Was it possible that the golden child had found something he couldn't have? Of course, there was only one way to find out.

"Well, well, well . . . you always did have a way with the ladies," John remarked as Bobby strode by purposefully, noting with pleasure how the temperature dipped in response to his words or, perhaps, his mere presence.

"What are _you_ doing here?" One victory in battle and Bobby was suddenly that much better than him, or so was implied by his tone. Bobby's body language however, was telling a different story. He was so on edge that the slightest movement might make him explode into tiny shards of ice – if only John could be so lucky. What exactly was it that had him so tense?

"Well, it just so happens that no one seems to know what to do with me," John heard himself admitting. "Can't force cure me now that you've got the kid. Can't put me in a maximum security 'mutant jail' as I'm not yet 18 – think of the press! Can't keep me in any other facility." John tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He had made his choice and there was no turning back, even if he had wanted to – which he didn't. What further proof that humans and mutants could not co-exist peacefully – asking a _school_ to police one of their own. Remembering the night covert ops had targeted this very hallway, John realized the alternatives could be worse. A lot worse.

"So you're _here_?" John was not sure what Bobby was more upset about – that he was still alive or that he had the audacity to breathe the same air that he did.

"Bobby?" The familiar voice now was attached to a familiar face as a cute, brown-haired girl came up beside Bobby. She seemed about to reach for his arm, but pulled her arm back at the last minute as if unsure of Bobby's reaction. Interesting. John filed it away for later use. "John?" She gasped, taking a step back as if by instinct. John couldn't suppress his smile. _That_ was respect that not even the perfect Mr. Drake could command.

It had been brief, but her image seemed to flicker slightly as she startled and suddenly the familiar pieces clicked. It was the ghost girl – Kathy? Katherine? Kitty! That was it!

"Hey, Pretty Kitty," he greeted her, hoping to gauge Bobby's reaction. "How have you been?"

John was not disappointed as Bobby, if possible, tensed even further. He put his arm up as if to keep Kitty away from him, which was ironic as the girl had already stepped away.

"Leave her alone!" Bobby shouted, his voice echoing through the hall, a complete contrast to the girl's quiet greetings and John's flirtatious tone.

How interesting. It hadn't been thought out, that much was sure; such a quick reflex was no doubt knee-jerk. And there was more to it than just Bobby's frustrating 'protect the innocents' impulse as well, as the girl's powers made her quite able to take care of herself. But hadn't John seen him only last week searching for Rogue at the Worthington facility he had torched? Or was it last month – each day seemed to last forever and a time before San Francisco was quite literally another lifetime for John now. Either way, he was certain that his rival was far too _noble_ to have switched girls so quickly. Unless the decision had been made for him and the Rogue had gone Rogue. John knew there was a reason he had liked her.

Remembering his former classmate's temper, John had no doubt that was the more likely scenario and decided to try and play upon it. "Awww, isn't that cute? Sticking up for the little girl? But my, my, whatever would your girlfriend say? Or did she realize what an uptight ass you were and leave you?"

"Shut up!" Bobby looked as surprised as John was that the answer came from the teen behind him. So Rogue wasn't the only little fireball in the mansion. John wondered how he hadn't noticed her when they were classmates. "I'm not a little girl and you have no right to insult Bobby. He and Rogue have been through enough without you to -"

Bobby interrupted, denying John of the pleasure of discovering exactly what had been troubling the Iceman in turn also dening him of ammo – for that was what all information on your enemy could be. And whatever was decided behind those oak doors – Bobby was and always would be his enemy – Alcatraz had cemented that.

"Kitty, go back to your room. Logan can come get you when it's time for your meeting. You shouldn't be here," Bobby ordered.

He sounded so like Scott or the Professor echoing the same sentiments that had driven John from these very halls that for a moment John was convinced that Bobby was channeling one of his dead professors. Kitty looked no less shocked than John did although she seemed quite a bit hurt by his authoritarian tone of voice. She did however turn and leave.

Watching Bobby's face crumble, John realized with a smirk that he may not have to do anything to ruin Bobby's "perfect" life. Bobby was starting to chip away at the golden finish all on his own.

Didn't mean he wasn't going to still have some fun with it. "Smooth, Drake," he chuckled as Bobby followed the girl's retreating figure with a lost puppy dog look. He waltzed over and slung his arm around Bobby's shoulder, as if consoling him on the one that got away.

Bobby shoved him off instantly.

'That was more like it,' John thought. All this passive aggressive bullshit was for girls. He ached to get his frustrations out in a more healthy, _violent_ way, something that had been denied him since his capture. Since he had tried to kill the boy standing across from him. Since he had been defeated for the first time.

"You want to go? Rematch, _Iceman_." It may have been illogical, but John couldn't help thinking if he had just bested Bobby things could have turned out differently for his side. While beating him now wouldn't do much more than restore his pride . . . well, that much at least was something more than he currently had.

Unfortunately for John, this too was not to be. Ororo's voice carried across the hall cutting through the tension between the boys. "I'd remind you that fighting is not allowed in the halls. Or anywhere else for that matter. This much at least, has not changed."

John listened with a sinking heart. He didn't want to be here, in fact moments ago he would have suggested that anywhere _but_ here would be preferable. Now, faced with the possibility that even the mansion that accepted _anyone _didn't want him, John realized how much he had lost by succumbing to selfish desires. "Does that mean the whole 'safe place for mutants' has?" John muttered under his breath.

"Not yet, Mr. Allerdyce. I will not allow Charles' dream to die with him just yet," Ororo's words made him feel small in comparison to some grand vision. Insignificant. An obligation, even. John grimaced. He hated feeling unimportant, just another student towards a dream. He had been somebody once. Now he was nobody. Less than nobody if Bobby had any say in the matter.

"Come, Mr. Allerdyce. Some things have changed since your last visit and there are some restrictions that we have been instructed to relay to you," Ororo started up the stairs, gesturing that he should follow. Not like he had any choice.

He had made his choice once. Now they were taken from him. John glared at Bobby not entirely convinced this wasn't all his fault, before trudging behind his new headmistress, staying far away from Logan's reach. He may be without options, but he wasn't stupid.

He recognized Kitty standing a few steps up and smiled. They could make him stay here, they could keep him from fire, but they couldn't control his every movement. And he needed something to live for, after all.

He leaned in close as he passed, until his lips nearly touched her ear. "I would never send you to your room," he quoted Bobby's earlier words. "But you're always welcome in mine," he finished noting the pleasant shade of pink her ear and indeed her entire face became.

He didn't need to turn around to see what Bobby's reaction was, but he did anyway, just for the fun of it. While it seemed chemically impossible for one known as "The Iceman," John could have sworn he saw steam coming out from his ears.

"This is your room," Ororo said pausing halfway down one of the corridors. "For obvious reasons your old room is . . ." she searched for the appropriate word. 'Occupied by a jackass?' John considered supplying but thought better of it. "Unsuitable," she finally finished.

The room he was shown was smaller than the one he and Bobby shared, but otherwise similar with some notable exceptions. The door locked from the outside, not the inside. And there were bars on the windows.

Noting his gaze, Ororo sighed. "I am sorry, John. We argued those were unnecessary, but the government was insistent upon _some_ restrictions." John heard the conflict in her voice and knew he could reassure her with a word. He remained silent.

After a few minutes she seemed to maintain her control. "You will attend classes with the other students and dine with them. However, you are not to leave the campus, nor are you allowed to exercise your gifts."

John felt like the air had been taken out of the room. He knew it was illogical to expect that he would be allowed to train with the precious X-Men after he had tried to kill most of them via flaming vehicles of death, but the idea of living without fire was so foreign to him. It was like being blind or deaf or senseless in any other way.

"Government regulations," she explained helplessly with a shrug of her shoulders.

"The same government that stormed into this school with guns the last time I was here?" John asked, unable to conceal his bitterness at her, the government, his entire situation. "The one that gave me this, too?" He lifted his right pant leg to show the small blinking anklet that tracked his every move and his internal body temperature – making sure things didn't get too hot – literally.

She seemed however, to finally grow weary of his attitude. "It's not what anyone wanted, John, but your actions gave us little choice! You will find that Henry McCoy and others pulled every string in their power to get you even this much latitude. These restrictions are only temporary – not forever, unless you choose to make it so," she snapped. She shook her head and walked to the door leaving him alone. "Dinner is an hour. I will send someone for you." She was halfway out the door before she turned back. "Not everyone gets a second chance, John. Do with it what you will."

John heard the door close and lock behind her and flopped down on his bed frustrated. It didn't feel like much of a second chance. Magneto's had felt like a second chance – a chance to spread his flames and find what he was capable of. Now he was back within the walls and restrictions of the institute. Restrictions – he realized looking at the iron bars blocking his view of the basketball courts – that were all the more binding than when he had left.

But what choice had he really? He could stay here and earn his diploma and live in relative comfort – free in a few years to do whatever it was that ex-cons did, whether that be return to crime or to live a "normal" life. He could argue and get placed into a high security prison alongside his old friends – those that had survived and would no doubt be ill pleased with the fact that he had been given leniency. Or he could wait for some slip . . . some spark and use it to get free.

Free to go where? Magneto was a human now. Mystique was mere mortal as well. Of his cause there were few. And if John was willing to admit it to himself, it hadn't really been his cause ever. What did he care about big speeches and mutant rights? He had wanted to set things on fire and for a while he had. On his own what hope had he of staying free?

Of course . . . here he wasn't alone. There were hundreds of students at the school by now, even more now than when he had left. It was possible to think that not all of them liked being told exactly what to do and how to do it. Look at how Kitty had reacted to Bobby's "orders." Maybe he could sway a few over to his side of thinking – show them how they could be gods among men, the way Magneto had shown him. With a few friends – particularly gifted friends, he could escape and hide out as long as he wanted or needed to and live like a king doing so. Perhaps this wasn't such a bad situation to be after all.

As for his former roommate . . . John flashed back to his conversation with Bobby. Could he really stand to be in the same institute as that stuck up pretty boy? After all, he was in part responsible for this his entire world collapsing. It wouldn't be fair not to at least try to return the favor.

John remembered the expression on Bobby's face as he had flirted with Kitty on the stairs. Perhaps he could kill two birds with one stone. After all, someone of Kitty's abilities would be beyond helpful if he were to have to be on the run from the law. Glancing down at his ankle he thought of one helpful use right away, if she could slide that thing off as easily as she slid through walls. And no matter what Drake's relationship with Rogue was, there was no denying he felt something for the petite ghost girl. Taking her away from the mansion – away from Bobby – would be the ultimate coup.

A plan for surviving inside the mansion firmly in place, John set about unpacking and getting dressed for dinner. It wouldn't be easy making friends when one was known as the attempted murderer of most of the faculty and first impressions would be important. Good thing for John – he loved a challenge.


	3. Ch 3 The Man Stealing Hussy

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I appreciate all comments - both the good and those pointing out what I should work on.

Stormy: Regarding Rogue, keep in mind this is not how she _is_ but how Bobby _sees_ her. So there may be some discrepencies. I also think a case may be made for her being not as rough and tumble as you may see - in the first movie she seemed very meek and scared and she maintained a lot of that personality thoughout the trilogy I thought. Next chapter should be from her point of view, so give it a try. I'm open to other interpretations, I just don't want you to think that mine is out of a place of laziness, but a thought out choice. Maybe not one you agree with, but not without reason.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my poor, beat up laptop.

Kitty stirred her iced tea with her straw, staring at the ice cubes as Jubilee related some or other piece of gossip. She wasn't a fan of gossip under the best of circumstances, but lately with all the real life tragedy that had befallen so many of her friends and teachers it seemed even more superficial.

"So then he said, 'I'm just chillin,'" Jubilee finished with a flourish. "Get it? Just _chillin'_? The Iceman – chilling?"

Kitty's lack of reaction to what was obviously a first class joke seemed to bother the bubbly teen and she elbowed Kitty hard.

"Ow, Jubes! What was that for?" Kitty winced, rubbing her midsection.

"That was for spacing out on me. What is _with_ you lately anyway?" Jubilee asked snapping her gum in annoyance.

It was a loaded question and one Kitty couldn't really answer. She couldn't explain to her best friend that since the professor's death she felt alone, even in a crowd. That her feeling of safety and security at the mansion had been irrevocably destroyed. For the first time, Kitty realized that she could in her own way be just as untouchable as Rogue – at least Rogue with her powers – and Kitty didn't particularly feel like letting anyone in. What was the point when they would die or leave you? Kitty thought back to the night of the Professor's death when she had confided in someone, shaking her head in disgust at the way things had turned out. No, much better to keep these things to yourself.

Kitty realized that none of this would satisfy Jubilee, however. Much as she loved her friend, Jubilee worked best on surface matters – crushes, fashion, music. She shrugged. "I don't know." Kitty winced listening to how lame her own words sounded. Eloquent.

"Well, you better figure it out soon. Because currently you're not all that popular, what with the rumors about you and Bobster," Jubilee shushed Kitty before she had time to protest. "I said _rumors_ calm down. I'm just saying; you walk around moping all the time and you might drive away what few friends you have left."

"Thanks, Jubilee, that was just what I needed to hear," Kitty muttered sarcastically, pushing away from the table in disgust.

Kitty ignored her friend's protests, although she knew in some respects she was right. The whole mansion was abuzz with rumors as to why Rogue had decided to get "cured" and one of the most popular was that she had done so after finding Bobby had cheated on her with Kitty. The rumor was absurd, but too juicy to _not_ be passed on in the world of teenagers who lived and worked together.

So caught up in her thoughts, she didn't pay much attention to where she was walking until she crashed right into the figure in front of her. She found herself standing face to face with possibly the only person at the Institute less popular than herself at the moment. John Allerdyce.

She hadn't known John well before he left for the Brotherhood of Mutants and she couldn't say she was all that eager to get to know him now. But she _had_ bumped into him and it was only polite . . .

"Sorry," she mumbled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear nervously.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" John smirked. "It's your school; I'm just the convict taking up space in the hallway."

Kitty, despite the voice that was telling her to just walk away, felt like she should explain. "It's not like that; I just have a lot on my mind and wasn't watching," she answered taking a deep breath.

John's eyes narrowed dangerously and Kitty realized suddenly that he made a very imposing villain when he tried to. "A lot on your mind? Bobby's been called worse, I suppose."

Kitty knew it was bad when even John had heard the rumors. "Damn it, can no one in this school shut their mouths for ten seconds?" She blurted out angrily, forgetting she hadn't intended to talk to John.

She tried to stalk by him, but John grabbed her elbow. She paused a moment before phasing, letting him subtly know that she was listening, but could change her mind at any time. "I'm not talking about any rumors, Kit-Kat," he continued. "I saw your little lover's spat in the hallway before your top secret X-Man meeting with Logan. If I were you I wouldn't let anyone talk to me the way Bobby talked to you in that hallway."

Kitty rolled her eyes. He couldn't have had it more wrong if he tried. Still . . . it was nice to have someone who was sticking up for her, albeit completely for the wrong reasons. "It's not like that. Look, I've got to go," and with that she turned and walked back to her room.

Lover's spat? As if! X-Man meeting with Mr. Logan? Not in this century, or so had been made abundantly clear. Kitty flounced on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as she thought back to the hallway yesterday.

Sitting on the bottom step, she had been reviewing in her mind the events of the week prior. Half to get a handle on herself, half to ignore the increasingly hostile voices of the teachers she was to meet in just a few minutes.

Despite her fears and the ultimate outcome, Kitty had felt that the mission to San Francisco had been a personal success. Growing up the only child to parents who were unhappily married, loneliness was something she was used to. Finally, Kitty had gotten to a place where she was accepted; she was part of the team completely. In Bobby, she had found a true friend, someone who she could confide in all the deep thoughts and feelings that made Jubilee roll her eyes or squirm uncomfortably. Sure, he was a boy, but that didn't matter much. He understood her, in ways that no one else at the mansion seemed to. And then, during the actual battle, she had managed to save Jimmy – to find him, to outsmart the Juggernaut and lead them both to safety despite not having the use of her powers. It wasn't ideal, but in the topsy turvy world since Xavier's death, Kitty had learned that small victories were sometimes more important than perfection.

But somehow in the week that followed it had all fallen apart. Bobby – the one true friend? Wouldn't talk to her or even look her way. She felt confused and afraid until Jubilee had told her the rumors. Hadn't Rogue seen them kissing on the pond the night Xavier died? Hadn't she left the very next day so that she could kiss her boyfriend and keep him from the man stealing hussy? If it hadn't been used to describe her, Kitty would have laughed at the use of such an old-fashioned word.

Was it possible that Rogue believed these things and had ordered Bobby to stay away from Kitty? That didn't sound like the Marie that Kitty considered a friend, if not a close one. They hadn't hung out much lately, but Kitty had chalked that up mostly to Marie wanting to explore her new powers. Did Bobby think she had "harbored designs" on him and was staying away? Or had he only been interested in one thing that he could now get from his girlfriend? Either way there were a million different moments Kitty could put her finger on where previously they would have shared a smile or a few words. Instead she had been left with icy stares.

When he hadn't shown up for his Calculus tutoring session, Kitty thought that perhaps he had done so well on his last exam he hadn't needed them anymore. When he excused himself from the game of pick up basketball that Piotr had dragged her to in order to round out the teams, she figured he had tired himself out earlier. When he changed tables at lunch from their regular spot, she figured he and Rogue needed some alone time. She tried to shrug it off; Bobby was busy catching up on schoolwork and his relationship. But after today in Physics and a million other missed looks, Kitty couldn't deny that he was in fact avoiding her.

She was surprised at how much it hurt. She had other friends – Jubilee and Pete to name just two. Kitty was friendly enough, despite her shyness and wasn't disliked at the mansion or at least hadn't been until recently. With Bobby, though . . . he always knew the right thing to say or do. They worked well together in the Danger Room when paired up and they complemented each other in class work when grouped together. His lighthearted banter kept her from being too serious and her studiousness rubbed off on him slightly to the point where they actually got things done. To have all that taken away without an explanation or anything . . . hurt was the only word that Kitty could think of, yet it seemed wholly insufficient to express the emptiness.

She wished she could have told him about this meeting. Mr. Logan had seemed so serious when he mentioned it to her. She had at first thought that it was just a "State of the Union" type meeting – where each member of the team stood post their first real battle before getting back into training. However, neither Warren nor Piotr had received any sort of notice when she had casually mentioned it. Only her. She had been the one to find Jimmy, but somehow the tone of Mr. Logan's voice . . . it didn't seem the good sort of meeting. Kitty couldn't talk to Jubilee about it. She was still smarting about not being allowed to train with her friends although Kitty could admit that her friend's powers were nowhere near as helpful in a fight as those who had been promoted to the team. Jubilee had heard about the Danger Room, but never been allowed to work in it, grouped instead into the regular self-defense classes all students took since the Stryker raid.

All of these thoughts had been racing through her mind when she felt a slight breeze as if a window had opened behind her . . . or if behind her stood someone whose body temperature was quite frequently below 98.6 degrees.

She knew he would slink away back up the stairs if she let him and found that despite his ignoring her, it hurt more that she didn't know _why._

Taking a deep breath, she realized now was her chance. "I'm supposed to have a meeting in there in five minutes, you know." Bobby didn't reply, but he also didn't move, so Kitty plunged on. "You were quiet enough, but there's a little chill to your step you can't completely erase when you're upset."

Half afraid of him turning around and leaving even after she called him on it, she drew her knees up to her chest defensively.

Bobby's tone surprised her in its frostiness. "Yeah, well, good luck with your meeting, I was just on my way to work out."

He walked by without a glance, leaving Kitty with the feeling that there were much worse things from a former friend than being ignored. What had she done that was so wrong? Maybe she should go to Marie and explain that she hadn't meant for anything more than friendship to happen and then have Marie go to Bobby on her behalf? Kitty dismissed it quickly. That would add fuel to the rumors that were already flying, not to mention be completely humiliating.

The sounds of arguing were less muted now and no longer coming from behind the doors she waited to open, but from where Bobby had disappeared, she realized with a start.

Kitty stood, dusting herself off slightly before rounding the corner to see what the trouble was. "Bobby?" she asked, unconsciously reaching for his hand before she realized what she was doing and dropped it to her side. If her conversation wasn't welcome than she didn't want to think what his response to her touch would be. She looked beyond his hand to who he had been arguing with and found herself face to face with the boy that had tried to kill Bobby not a week prior. "John?"

She stepped back slightly. She had missed the actual fireworks he had provided, being inside looking for Jimmy and outracing the Juggernaut, but the burned out hulls of the cars that had dotted the battlefield she emerged into were enough to convince her that John hadn't been playing around.

"Hey, Pretty Kitty," he greeted her with a predator's smile. "How have you been?"

Kitty fought the urge to shudder. How was it possible to be afraid of someone whom only a year ago could have been her partner in chem. lab?

She was saved from answering his false small talk by Bobby's reaction. "Leave her alone!"

A week ago, she would have been touched by Bobby's gesture of protection. After having the Drake version of the silent treatment all week, Kitty was mostly annoyed. Confused a bit, but definitely annoyed. Not to mention she could take care of herself.

"Awww, isn't that cute? Sticking up for the little girl? But my, my, whatever would your girlfriend say? Or did she realize what an uptight ass you were and leave you?" John's response however hit a little too close to home based on the rumors circulating and despite Kitty's annoyance she couldn't help but want to stand up for Bobby.

"Shut up!" The vehemence in her voice surprised even Kitty. She was tired of people treating her like she wasn't there, though, both John and Bobby too caught up in their macho 'mine is bigger than yours' routine. "I'm not a little girl and you have no right to insult Bobby. He and Rogue have been through enough without you to -"

Bobby turned toward Kitty. There were no thanks in his eyes for the way she had been sticking up for him. "Kitty, go back to your room. Logan can come get you when it's time for your meeting. You shouldn't be here."

Kitty tried to speak but no words would come out. How dare he speak to her like a child and in front of one of the Brotherhood! She wouldn't have expected it from a teammate that hated her, let alone someone she had considered a friend. Try as she might, Kitty could not think of one single other moment where she had felt as humiliated and she turned to run, not out of any desire to obey the ridiculous caveman orders, but rather so that the boys couldn't see the tears of anger that had sprung to her eyes near immediately.

Unfortunately it wouldn't be the last moment that night Kitty would rather forget. She had only made it halfway up the stairs when the heavy office doors had opened and Ms. Monroe and Mr. Logan had emerged. Kitty wanted to be anywhere but here in this foyer at this moment but she couldn't break her meeting with Mr. Logan without looking childish, especially if she explained why.

Storm passed by her on the stairs leading a sullen John behind her. He stopped for a moment on the stair next to her and leaned in close. Kitty tried not to flinch, knowing that Bobby's eyes were probably on the pair. 'I shouldn't be here?' she thought angrily. 'I could take him, you watch.'

John seemed to have thoughts other than fighting on his mind, however. "I would never send you to your room," he whispered in her ear and Kitty almost smiled at the ridiculousness of _John_ being the one of the two boys who understood. Then he continued, "But you're always welcome in mine." The tone of his voice implied that Kitty and John would not be spending time their playing scrabble and despite herself she felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

She didn't have time to think about it further, for Bobby was not the only one watching at the foot of the stairs. "Half-pint! You forget our meeting?" Mr. Logan half growled at her. Kitty tried to explain that she had been waiting, but excuses weren't high on Mr. Logan's list. "Get down, here, pronto!"

Kitty scurried down the stairs, still pink. She paused to glare at Bobby willing to tell him with her eyes what she was thinking in her head. 'This is all _your_ fault.'

Mr. Logan was pacing behind the professor's old desk, clearly uncomfortable in the office or maybe in any office, Kitty thought for a moment. The way he paced was not unlike the way a tiger might walk back and forth in a zoo. Kitty stood in the doorway, both at a loss on how to proceed and caught up in memories of the room's former occupant.

Hard to believe that just last week she had sat on that arm chair arguing ethics and Albert Einstein with the greatest man she had ever known.

"Well? Take a seat," Mr. Logan barked and Kitty jumped in spite of herself. 'Smooth, Pryde,' she whispered to herself, unaware that Mr. Logan was doing much the same thing.

It may not have occurred to the pretty brunette now perched on the sofa, but Logan was just as nervous around teenagers as he made them feel. Especially girls. They were alright, as long as they didn't get all weepy on ya, and Logan could tell that this one in particular was prone to tears. The faint puffiness around the eyes told him it had happened recently at that.

Of course, all Kitty knew was that she was alone in a room with the Wolverine for the first time since . . . ever. And she had a feeling that whatever followed would not be something she particularly would care for.

"Probably 'Ro who should be doing this, but she's got a bit on her mind with the fireball staying here, so it's fallen to me. But we agree, so there's that."

Kitty tried to follow Mr. Logan's words, but the logic escaped her.

He seemed to pick up on her confusion and sat momentarily across from her. "We went through some pretty scary times recently. That wasn't how any of us would have wanted your first mission to be, but the truth of it is none of 'em are gonna be easy."

Kitty nodded, letting out an inward sigh of relief. So this was merely a State of Things type meeting. She had let her imagination run away with her again, thankfully.

"You saved that kid's life most likely – none of us could have gotten to him before Juggernaut," Mr. Logan continued. Kitty smiled proudly. Jimmy was adjusting well to life at the Institute although he was subject to almost as many rumors as she herself was.

"It was a stupid thing to do, kid."

Kitty's smile faltered. Surely, she had misheard? She had saved Jimmy's life; she was his only chance . . . where did the stupid come in?

"What is the most important thing about the X-Men?" Mr. Logan looked straight into her eyes as he quizzed her.

His stare was intense and Kitty couldn't hold it for more than a second before she looked down, fiddling with the fraying sleeve of her sweatshirt. "Protecting the innocent?" she ventured a guess.

By the way Mr. Logan stood abruptly, Kitty knew she had guessed wrong. "We're a team. We do things together. Win together, fail together; it's a team effort. Going off on your own like that in the midst of a battle, without proper training – it jeopardized the whole mission."

"What?" Despite her fear of Mr. Logan, Kitty couldn't stay quiet any longer. "I saved Jimmy – you said so yourself that no one else could have!"

"Just because you were lucky doesn't make it the right decision." He lit a cigar, seemingly unmoved by her outburst.

"LUCKY?" Kitty spluttered. Resourceful, intelligent, tenacious – Kitty could think of a thousand more appropriate descriptors for the way she had outwitted the Juggernaut.

"A barely trained teenage girl escapes the second most feared mutant criminal and what else should I call it?" Mr. Logan continued, taking a long drag of the cigar. "Face it, kid, the most likely outcome was that you both got killed, particularly as you went in blind. You didn't know that the kid nullified your powers. Granted you thought on your feet, but going in there without all the info was a damn stupid thing to do."

"Well, you could have _told_ us about Jimmy's powers before hand!" Kitty shot back defensively.

"There were a lot of things that could have happened differently," Mr. Logan admitted, a look of pain crossing his features, and Kitty knew he was thinking about regrets that went a lot deeper than her own. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he put the cigar out as if it suddenly disgusted him.

"Doesn't matter. You aren't ready yet, kid, and Storm agrees with me." Using her code name added a bit of authority to the decision, Kitty noted with regret. Made it all that more official. "You need to learn a lot more about teamwork before you can be an X-Man."

"_You_ of all people are lecturing me about teamwork? That's a bit rich coming from someone who only cares about himself," Kitty scoffed. She knew she had crossed a line, but her outrage at being demoted for making a choice that saved a kid's life overrode the logical part of her mind.

"Be angry at me all you want, darling, it won't change nothing," Mr. Logan said. "Your updated class schedule is here," he said placing a folder on the coffee table in front of her. "Your danger room sessions replaced with the standard self-defense classes and times shifted accordingly. You'll be reviewed again in time, just like every other student."

Kitty snorted. She wasn't like every other student. Not every other student had outwitted a massive giant set on killing her. It wasn't fair.

A day removed and Kitty's feelings on the subject still hadn't changed as she stared at the wooden panels above her. It wasn't fair. Sure, it hadn't been part of the plan, but it had worked out _better_ than the plan. Couldn't Ms. Monroe and Mr. Logan _see_ that?

A knocking on her door brought her firmly out of her ruminations and self-pity. She padded over to the door to see Piotr standing there looking awkward. The big Russian's past was a mystery, but what was not a mystery was how shy he was in the part of the mansion that served as the girls' dormitory.

"Katya, I was wondering if you would like to accompany me down to our session this afternoon? We do not want to be late for Logan," he asked, unaware that each word was torture. Apparently Mr. Logan and Ms. Monroe hadn't seen fit to tell her teammates about her demotion – no, that humiliation would be left to her.

"I'm not going," she said, her voice catching only slightly, she was proud to note.

Poor Pete just stood there gaping. "But, Katya, to skip class is not like you?"

Kitty winced. He was going to make her spell it out. "I'm not a part of the X-Men any longer, Piotr. I take self-defense in the mornings with Jubilee now."

To his credit, Piotr didn't push the matter. "I am sorry to disturb your rest, then Katya. I'm sure Bobby will be upset his favorite sparring partner is no longer available."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Kitty mumbled under her breath before turning back to Piotr with a sad smile. "You didn't disturb anything, Pete. You couldn't be a bother if you tried."

Piotr surprised her by stepping forward to embrace her briefly before striding down the hall. She stepped out of her room slightly to watch him go, grateful for even a little bit of sympathy.

"My, my, Pryde. Seems you've got every boy in this place hot and bothered," a voice mocked from behind. _John._ Kitty closed her eyes and sank back against her door frame. What had she done to deserve this?

"I'm not in the mood Allerdyce," she spat out between clenched teeth.

"Now, now, Kitty, why so formal with your old friend?" he came up and put his hands on her shoulders, massaging just a little until Kitty phased free with a gasp as he hit a knot on her left shoulder. "And so tense! Why don't you let me help you with that?"

Kitty couldn't say later whether she actually saw something in his eyes that seemed sincere or was too tired to argue. "What do you want do?" she asked, defeated.

John seemed taken aback by the honesty in her voice, as if he expected to go another 10 rounds before having the door shut in his face and wasn't sure what to do next. He weighted his next words carefully but they seemed genuine. "I'm not allowed to leave and everyone treats me like the plague."

'Funny how that happens when you try and kill them,' she thought wryly. "And?" she said out loud.

"And as you're the only person here who has said more than two words to me; I was wondering if you would keep me company a bit?"

Kitty looked up quickly at that. It seemed so sincere, yet still . . . the look he had given her this morning had sent shivers right through her. There was no escaping the fact that John _was,_ with or without his fire, dangerous.

John seemed to misjudge her hesitation. "Both your wannabe boyfriends happen to be below the surface currently, so you don't have to worry about being seen with me."

Kitty started. "How did you know-"

"I lived here for years, Pryde, not to mention I heard your entire conversation with the Ruskie. But look if you need to wait for his protection or _Bobby's_ okay to leave your room, I understand." John made his former best friend's name sound like the dirtiest word imaginable.

She didn't need either of those things, nor did she need to prove herself to John. But it was so nice to have someone treating her normally for once – not like Pete's awkwardness or Bobby and Marie's avoidance or Jubilee asking if she was alright every ten seconds. She didn't want to lose that. She didn't want him to go.

And so despite what Mr. Logan would have thought of this particular decision – or maybe because of it, Kitty admitted to herself with a wicked grin – she closed her door and took the pro-offered juvenile deliquent's arm. "So, where to?"


	4. Ch 4 Enter the Rogue

**A/N: Here's the long awaited Marie/Rogue chapter. I don't know if everyone will agree with my characterization, but there is canonical evidence? Based on the movies (primarily) and a bit from the novelization only - because I find her very different than comic or cartoon Rogue (and not just in age). So this is my interpretation. As always, I own nothing.**

'Bored,' Marie thought with a sigh. That was what this overall feeling could best be described as. She was bored. In a boarding school mansion where nothing but the best was accepted, there were exactly 784 television channels. She guessed she had checked each of them at least three times and there was absolutely nothing of interest on any of them.

She checked the clock to see if by chance perhaps time had decided to speed up and make her day less miserable but it was only 4 minutes later than the last time she had checked. At this rate she would check the clock 10 more times and hit channel up 7,840 more times before Bobby's Danger Room session was over. And even then there was no guarantee he'd be done. He had taken to extra sessions in the gym and the punching bag lately.

"Relieves frustration," he had confided with a cocky grin although what _he_ had to be frustrated with she didn't quite know. Granted, he had said that before his former roommate who had tried to kill him had moved back into the mansion, so she supposed in all fairness he had some right to extra time now.

Marie angrily clicked off the television set and lay back on the couch. She could think of at least 38 different ways to relieve frustration and most of the involved intimacy of some kind. Intimacy that she had thought they had been working to after dating for almost two years. Intimacy that she felt sure they would have achieved long previous if not for her mutation, her _curse._ Something that would have helped them become closer as she felt him drift away.

Marie wasn't exactly sure that they were ready for . . . well, for _that _intimacy But she could deliver a mean backrub as a child on her daddy's arms after a day of work and that talent couldn't have just gone away. They could lay against each other and watch the sunset or indulge in old fashioned necking or a million other things now that she was a normal teenager.

However, Marie hadn't counted on how much being a normal teenager _sucked_. Classes were boring without that extra layer that various mutations brought to any field of study. Where she had once been given extra space by her classmates due to physical concerns, now the gap that separated her from them was philosophical. Before her mutation had made her a loner. Now her lack of mutation made her even more alone, not quite normal enough for a regular public high school, no longer a mutant at mutant high.

She thought it would feel different. That bells would ring and birds would sing and that suddenly everything would be right with the whole world. In reality, it felt just like every other day: boring classes, gossiping friends and a boyfriend who was avoiding her.

Bobby – who had been so eager to explore when she was untouchable – who had reassured her he could handle just one more kiss when they both knew he couldn't and who had set out to research silk and other materials that would be _almost_ like skin to skin contact without activating her mutation – now seemed disinterested in spending any time at all with her. Let alone doing anything that would require touching each other. Although, Marie acknowledged that shift hadn't _exactly_ began overnight.

"Excuse me, Rogue?" a voice nearby caused her to sit up where a boy from her U.S. History class stood hesitantly. Clarke, she thought, but wasn't sure.

"It's _Marie_," his friend hissed in his ear, either failing or not caring to be subtle.

"I mean, Marie," Clarke blushed, but continued. "There's this game tonight, you see and it's sort of important, I mean, the Mets are the New York team which is where we are, you know? And the Pirates, well, Jason's from Pittsburgh so it reminds him of home and we were wondering if well, we could watch it?"

Marie felt as if they were speaking another language, her mind still caught up in the fact that she didn't even have a name that fit her. In some ways taking the cure had made her more of a rogue than ever. But what use was a mutant code name to someone who was no longer a mutant? She realized the boy had stopped his flustered speech and seemed to be waiting for her to reply. "Y'all wanna do what?"

Jason gave up on his friend and stepped forward. "The baseball game is on, this is the best TV in the place and you've got the remote."

Well, that was certainly direct. Marie, looked down and realized she _had_ flopped right on top of the remote.

"Oh, sure," she muttered relinquishing her spot on the couch.

She spared a glance at the wall clock. That had taken another eleven minutes. She was making progress, slowly but surely.

"Marie!" She had been about to head back to her room when her voice called out her name, stopping her in her tracks.

Jubilee bounced down the stairs holding a letter. "Mail call!" she sang out, depositing the letter in the other girl's hand.

"Thanks," Marie murmured. She glanced at the return address briefly before tearing it swiftly in two.

"Woah, you aren't even going to read it?" the other girl asked snapping her gum to punctuate her question.

"No need when you know what it says. 'Darling, daughter, please come home to us,'" Marie replied bitterly.

"And the problem with that is?" Jubilee pressed.

It was no secret that the young firecracker was the local gossip. What was less well remarked on was how she came by her information. For all her loud fashion and music, Jubilee could be a remarkably good listener.

As Marie watched Jubilee perch on the bottom stair, all ears, she couldn't help but think it was nice to have someone listening for once. She knew that this girl was Kitty's best friend and that everything she said would probably get back to Kitty if not the entire mansion. And while Marie didn't believe all the rumors floating around the mansion about Kitty, she couldn't help but be jealous of the relationship her boyfriend shared with the intelligent teen. Even now that the physical problem had been solved, she couldn't shake the feeling of being threatened.

Jubilee seemed to sense her hesitation. "I love Kit-Kat, but you say the word and my lips are sealed." She made an elaborate motion with her hand as if taping up her lips, then immediately invalidated it by continuing. "The Bobster's great and all, but boys aren't known for being all that great at talking, you know? And most of the girls in the school are freaked out by you still being here now that you're cured and all."

Marie winced. It wasn't anything that wasn't true, but to hear it all so clinically laid out was a bit harsh.

Once again Jubilee seemed to read her thoughts and clapped both hands across her mouth. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong. Kitty always tells me to think first; then speak. I just wanted to let you know that if you need someone to listen to, you got me."

"You sure you're not part telepathic?" Marie asked smiling. It was hard not to be caught up in her friend's exuberance. "You seem to read people well."

"Who me? Nah," Jubilee shook off the compliment. "Just something I picked up when I lived on my own, you know?"

Marie nodded, surprised not only at how much she was confiding in Jubilee, but also how much it meant to have someone care for no apparent reason other than to care. "I appreciate the offer, really, and maybe someday. Let's just say the offer from home, sweet home is only good now that I can't accidentally kill them all with a brush in the hallway. And for now, I'll just leave it at that."

"Fair enough," Jubilee nodded, standing. "But the offer's good anytime."

"Thanks," Marie repeated.

Jubilee started to bounce down the stairs before turning around, looking startlingly serious all of a sudden. "And I know you didn't ask for advice or anything. But no matter what the reason? It's never a bad thing to have people who love you. It's good to have another safe place in this world."

She was gone before Marie had time to process the words. She flashed back to Jubilee's reference to being on her own and wondered what exactly the other teen's home life was like. Her own parents had never kicked her out; she had run away. Maybe it was unfair to think that their overtures now were motivated only out of relief that she was human again. Sort of.

It was more complicated than just her family, though, Marie knew. By now everyone in town would know how Cody had fallen so ill. Maybe not everyone would accept her back as willingly as her parents seemed to?

Marie stared at the torn letter in her hands. It was too late for this one, perhaps, but maybe Jubilee was right and the next one she should read.

She turned down the hall towards the girls' dormitories. There was a boy and a girl racing ahead of her, a couple by the looks of it, laughing and teasing each other. She wasn't surprised that they fell silent as she approached.

She was getting used to silences following and preceding her. If it wasn't someone who was either uncomfortable or resentful that she was cured – a human among them, then it was because that person had just been spreading the latest gossip about her and Bobby or Kitty and Bobby.

As she got closer she realized that perhaps this time, it wasn't for either of these reasons. For in front of her stood her once and future classmate John Allerdyce. And behind him, bent over with her hands on her knees as if to catch her breath, was none other than Kitty Pryde herself.

"Marie!" Kitty gasped, standing as she realized they were no longer alone. "I was, he was, we were just . . ."

"No need to explain what we were doing, Pryde, Rogue-y has a boyfriend that she can touch now; I'm sure she doesn't need a diagram," John cut in, putting his arm around Kitty's waist and pulling her close to him almost possessively.

Kitty looked bewildered for a minute before phasing out of his grip. Shooting him an angry glare she continued explaining. "I was just showing _Pyro_ where his classes were so he wasn't late tomorrow. Then he raced me back to my room."

"Where you were soundly defeated," John crowed, seemingly unaffected by both her rejection of his advances and her use of his codename.

"You don't need to explain to me what you were doing with him," Marie replied coldly, attempting to move past the two unaffected. "I wasn't the one he almost killed last week." It was petty to bring up Bobby at a time like this and Marie knew it. After watching Kitty and Bobby ice skate though, Marie couldn't help but try and get back in little ways, not so gently reminding Kitty which of them was Bobby's friend and which was his girlfriend.

"Right," Kitty repeated, not missing the insinuation. "I need to get changed for dinner." And she phased into her room without another glance, too eager to get away to bother with the door apparently.

Despite his previous attentions, John didn't seem much inclined to follow her. "So, Rogue. How ya been?"

"Not interested, John," she replied, shaking her head in disbelief. The last time she had seen him had been on the shore of Alkali Lake, daring her to disobey Mr. Summers rules. He had seemed so full of life and passion; she had been more than a little tempted. She didn't want to think of what might have happened if she had.

"Changed your wardrobe," he remarked switching topics quickly.

Marie shuddered to think of everything that had happened since that time. Maybe she was meant to follow him. It would have been hard for things to have gone worse. "A lot has changed since you left," she commented, before turning to stride down the hall.

John apparently didn't take well to being dismissed. "I was talking to you." He matched her stride, grabbing her elbow roughly until she stopped, facing him. He started to let go quickly before realizing that he wasn't feeling lightheaded. Marie watched as the reason why dawned on him. "You got the _cure_, didn't you? I mean, I saw Drake at the facility looking for you, but I never thought you'd be coward enough to actually go through with it!"

"Let go of me," Marie's voice was quiet, but completely without the conviction that it once possessed. At one point she had fantasized about being touched by John, although she had smothered it quickly under feelings of guilt and loyalty to Bobby, who had been nothing but kind to her. But John's grip was nothing like what she had imagined, ruthless and unforgiving.

"Or what?" John laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes, which remained emotionless. Drawing his face close to hers he sneered. "You think you're so much better than that girl back there because you've got some boy? She's the next stage of evolution. And you? You chose to jump back down the ladder to hang with the apes."

For the first time since giving up her powers, Marie realized that the ability to touch was not always a blessing as John's fingers roughly cut into her forearm. She struggled to free herself, but his grip was strong.

"John, you're hurting me," Marie's voice was pleading and she hated herself for it. Before she had been fearless, invulnerable. Now despite the fact that she had taken years of defense classes with Logan, all she could think about was that for the first time since she was fifteen someone was holding her. She hadn't imagined it happening like this.

"You know that when you first came to the institute and chose him I was jealous?" John scoffed before releasing her. "I should have realized you weren't worth my time."

Marie stood still long after he had departed, tears racing each other down her face. Sure, she could touch, but she could be touched as well. She had traded invulnerability for hurt in some respects, and she knew that John wasn't the only mutant living at the mansion who was probably disgusted with her right now for selling out. For one terrifying moment, she asked herself 'What have I done?' and she couldn't quite distinguish which choice she was questioning.


	5. Ch 5 Kitty's Bad Day

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. The OTP of my primary fandom just reunited so I've been having a lot of trouble writing anything that isn't mushy and involving them. Hopefully some people are still interested in what happens next.**

_SPLASH!_

Kitty hadn't thought her life could get any worse after Monday's demotion. But just a few days later in her new early morning self-defense class, she realized that thought had apparently just been a challenge to some higher being to prove how wrong she could be.

Like right now. The rumors hadn't stopped, Professor Xavier was still dead, Bobby was still avoiding her, she was still demoted to this miserable self-defense class and on top of it all, Kitty Pryde was soaking wet.

"I'm so sorry, Kitty, really, I am," the girl in front of her spouted words pretty much the same way she spouted water . . . gushing without much sense of aim or restraint.

Mr. Logan walked over to where the girls stood. Jessica, the would-be water nymph, hovering around trying to help while Kitty stood there seething about the situation and the unfairness of it all.

"What's going on here?" he growled and a short fountain shot from Jess's clenched fists as she jumped in fear. He took one look at the dripping palms of one girl and the other's soaked form and figured it out.

"What happened to 'no powers?'" he asked roughly as the terrified girl tried not to spray more water unintentionally. "Half-pint, you can go change up. I'll find a new sparring partner for Sprinkler here."

All around her was more of the same. Despite being in her age group, the teenage mutants surrounding her had little control over their powers when stimulated. Kitty was years ahead in both control of her powers and defensive maneuvering without them. And it was frustrating beyond belief to spend an hour in this room each morning patiently waiting for whoever she was paired up with to make a move that didn't involve almost dissecting, burning or drowning her. She had phased through the first two accidental water missiles, but the third had caught her unaware. 'Silly, Kat, thinking that Jess would have stopped after two consecutive errors,' she mentally chided herself.

Mr. Logan was still fixing her with his trademark glare but Kitty refused to back down. She glared right back at him.

"I'll be fine," she said attempting to match his gruff air.

Mr. Logan looked dubious, but Kitty ignored him instead crouching into the ready position. He finally gave up, giving her a look of grudging respect before walking to the other side of the gym to give Jubilee a few pointers. Turning back to Jess, Kitty phased just in time to avoid another turrent of water.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Kitty shouted frustrated holding up her hands.

Jessica jumped back, but the water stopped, which Kitty took as an invitation to continue. "Look, you draw the moisture from the air to form water right?" she asked her partner.

Jess nodded, seemingly perplexed at where Kitty was going with this. "I don't consciously _think_ about it on that level usually, but that's what Ms. Monroe has said in Chemistry."

Kitty smiled. "Well, that's part of your problem. To get your powers to work really well you have to think about them. Later they will become reflex, but for now, concentrate on what you do and you can stop yourself from doing it."

Jessica seemed dubious. "I don't know. Maybe it's different for you with your phasing?"

Kitty shook her head. "I have a . . ." Kitty stumbled over the words to try and describe Bobby, "friend who does the same thing only with ice, not water. It worked for him; it'll work for you."

"Yeah, I've heard all about how you helped Bobby Drake," Jess snorted, her face changing dramatically from embarrassed to vindictive. "Helped Marie D'Ancanto, too, didn't you. Right into a cure clinic!"

Kitty stood for a moment, her jaw surely resting somewhere around her knees. She had known of the rumors sure and hadn't Jubilee mentioned she was a bit unpopular at the moment? But no one had said anything to her face until now.

The nerve of that girl – Kitty was _trying_ to help the simpleton and instead she gets insulted? Shock wore off quickly and Kitty had crossed the distance between the two girls in half a second too angry to think about what she was doing.

Fortunately for Jessica, Mr. Logan's mutant ability included enhanced hearing. He had heard most of the exchange and correctly judging Kitty's temperament had started toward the pair.

He stepped between the two girls just as Kitty had reached out to grab onto anything of Jessica she could reach, shouting "HALT!" Jessica had responded the only way she knew how, a waterfall of water that Kitty phased through easily, but nailed her recently arrived teacher.

Despite her anger, Kitty had to admit that the "Drowned Wolverine" look was not Mr. Logan at his best.

"Miss Devereaux, I will see you in here at 4 o'clock sharp for a lesson on individual control. Miss Pryde, same time, but tomorrow," Mr. Logan snarled.

How was that fair? Kitty had been _trying_ to help, had been insulted and now she had detention? Last time I try and help out these losers, she thought, biting her lower lip to keep from screaming.

"Now both of you, go to your rooms and cool off!" he barked.

Jessica scurried off, although others would say later it was hard to tell whether she was running from Kitty or Logan. Kitty paused for a moment, staring him down, before leaving the room with her head held high.

Well, one more person to avoid, she thought with a wry smile. That brought the total to . . . 4. She was avoiding John and Marie since the incident in the hallway on Tuesday. She didn't trust John and was scared at how far she had let her defenses slip around him that day before Marie had interrupted. As for Marie, it was obvious that she no longer wanted a friendship with Kitty and if she believed one tenth of the rumors circulating Kitty couldn't say she blamed her. Which led to person number four, Mr. Robert Drake himself.

While Bobby may have started the avoidance game, since running into Marie with John, Kitty had definitely done her part as a player. She didn't want to think about what his reaction would be if or when Marie told him that she had been with John. He may come lecture her again or start a fight with John that would only land them both in more trouble. Or . . . or maybe he would do nothing. Maybe whatever she had done between Alcatraz and now that had him avoiding her was so bad that he didn't care that she was hanging out with his would be murderer. Despite her anger at Bobby, it was that last possibility that scared Kitty the most.

Sighing, Kitty pressed the button for the elevator that would take her up to the girls' floor where she could change for her next class. The doors opened and Kitty shivered in her wet clothes. Maybe she would have a chance to sneak in a hot shower, she thought with a slight smile.

Looking up, she realized the elevator was not empty. And right there was standing the number one person on her avoidance list.

His blue eyes widened at her wet form and Kitty couldn't help but think what an appearance she made soaked to the core in her workout pants and T-shirt. Fortunately her sports bra was purple as the T-shirt she was wearing was not only sticking close to her skin, but painfully transparent.

"I'll take the next one," she mumbled turning, but the doors had already closed. She made a move to phase through them anyway, to be anywhere but here, when Bobby stopped her.

"Kit, wait!" he shouted, putting a hand on her elbow to try and delay her.

The nickname stung after over a week of Bobby's acting like he didn't know her and she stopped mid-step, although she refused to turn around.

"That could have been so unsafe, phasing while the elevator's between floors. What are you thinking?" Bobby continued.

"I was thinking that I could avoid another lecture, _Dad_," Kitty spat out before she could stop herself. She heard a sharp intake of breath behind her and felt more than a little remorseful. She turned, slowly to face him. "Sorry. It's been a long day already and it's not even eight."

Bobby seemed to consider this, looking down at his watch thoughtfully. "Actually, it's 8:02 am."

Kitty smiled in spite of herself. "Well, in that case, the day has been quite the appropriate length I suppose."

"What happened to you anyway?" he asked, lifting her wet sleeve between two fingers as if disgusted.

Kitty playfully swatted his hand away. "It's water, thanks. And Jessica Devereaux happened to me."

Bobby raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Now why do I always miss the hot girl-on-girl action?"

Despite her relief at having a normal, lighthearted conversation with Bobby for the first time in forever, Kitty couldn't help but feel a tinge of humiliation admitting why she and Jessica spent time together in the first place. Pete or someone would have filled him in by now about her demotion, but to have to admit it out loud . . .

Then there was the fight afterwards. Her cheeks started coloring just thinking about the horrible things Jessica had said about her and Bobby. She wondered if he felt the same way about the rumors or if he, being Bobby – wonderfully oblivious – had even noticed. She wanted to ask him and oh, about a million things while they were talking. But right now she couldn't stop thinking about what Jessica would say if she knew that Kitty and Bobby were alone in an elevator and her top was completely see through.

"Look at you, Miss Pryde, you're positively blushing," Bobby smirked, walking around her slightly. "I _knew_ it was something dirty!"

Why was this elevator taking so long to go one floor? Why hadn't she taken the stairs?

"Sort of," Kitty finally admitted sucking up her pride. She didn't want to let this moment with Bobby escape, even if it was painfully embarrassing. "Self-defense with mutants that are still learning to control their powers can be a bit hazardous. I miss actually _training_ training, not babysitting for just teething mutants. I never thought I'd say it, but I'd kill for a Danger Room run."

Kitty glanced over to see Bobby's reaction to that admission but the earlier levity was gone, his face suddenly impassive. "What?" She asked, suddenly defensive. "Don't tell me that you _approve_ of me moving down to the X-Babies!"

"Logan and Ororo know what's best," Bobby replied without a hint of wavering. "I'm sure the extra training won't hurt you any."

"Won't hurt me? It's only completely humiliating." Kitty looked at him in disgust. "I can't believe you didn't stick up for me!" She exploded before fixing him with her gaze, eyes cold. "You're right. Extra training won't hurt me. You're doing a bang up job of that all by yourself."

Fortunately for Kitty, the elevator doors opened at that moment, because she knew, a dangerous time to phase or not, she would not have spent another minute on that elevator with _him._

Unfortunately, John was standing right there as if waiting for her to emerge. It didn't take him long to notice what she was wearing.

"You know, I don't say this to most felines, but the wet look works for you," he leered, taking advantage of her white T-shirt to look her up and down.

Kitty stalked off down the hallway before Bobby could jump in and order her to - like the child he seemed to think she was. To her surprise and perhaps relief, John matched her stride for stride.

"What do _you_ want?" she snapped at him.

"Wow, hostile, much?" John replied, still matching her every step.

Kitty was rapidly running out of hallway before the bathroom. She came to the disturbing conclusion that he may very well follow her into the shower if she didn't stop and talk to him.

"Fine." Kitty abruptly stopped and John crashed into her not so softly. "Ouch!"

For a moment, she thought he would apologize, but it was gone before she could say for sure. "That's what you get for starting and stopping!"

Kitty clenched her teeth and forced her voice to come out evenly. "Okay, then, I'm sorry for making you follow me and crash into me rudely from behind. Now what do you want?"

"Eat lunch with me," he answered simply.

"What? No!" She scoffed. "Why would I do that?"

"Why not?" he asked. "It doesn't look like the Iceman is chasing down after you asking to hang out and your other 'friends' seem conspicuously absent."

"They're in class," Kitty mumbled, trying not to show how much the Bobby comments were getting to her. It was getting harder to defend him to herself; let alone to John. Why was she even still trying?

"Whatever," John shook off her excuses. "Pry- Kitty. Don't make me beg. Seriously, I feel like I have some disease, no one will talk to me. I need a little shield in that lunchroom."

"I didn't think you cared what us do-gooder types thought of you," Kitty responded.

"I didn't. I mean, I don't," John hastily corrected. "Look, I'm stuck here for the next two years at least or so says my probation officer. I may hate those I'm surrounded with, but I can't spend every moment of those two years alone."

Kitty looked into his eyes as if searching for some hidden agenda, but was surprised to see what looked like actual emotion. If she admitted it to herself, she'd realize it was even an emotion she had become all too familiar with in the mirror the past few days. He looked lonely.

Of course, then he had to open his big fat mouth. "And I suppose as do-gooders go, you're not completely disgusting." He trailed his eyes down her shirt one more time, not that the shirt was doing much to hide anything. "In fact, I'd say you're more sinfully delicious."

"Pervert!" Kitty shoved him away and resumed walking down the hall.

"So I'll see you at lunch hour then?" he called after her, thankfully not following this time.

Despite the rather rude gesture that Kitty threw over her shoulder at him, she knew that she would probably sit with him at lunch, insufferable do-gooder that she was. She just hoped this time at least, she knew what she was doing.


	6. Ch 6 Class According to John

_Click._ John clicked his pen off. It was no use to pretend to take notes; he could care less about Calculus. The fact that it seemed to come naturally to him was a fortunate coincidence, otherwise he would have suffered more from having missed so much school work. As it was this was the only class in which he was still with his old classmates, having fallen too far behind in every other subject.

_Click._ John snapped the pen back on. John could easily contain his joy at this prospect. It was fortunately the only time he spent anywhere near the vicinity of Bobby since his return to the mansion, the near miss at the elevator this morning notwithstanding. He had to hand it to old Stormy, for being stupid enough to let someone like him back in, she had been smart enough to put him and the Iceman as far apart as could be and still be in the same building.

_Click._ Off again. But for forty minutes every morning he had the distinct pleasure of sitting behind and to the right of the sainted one himself as some minor mutant teacher struggled through a new syllabus. If mutants were gods among insects, than this particular mutant would have been a much lesser god, like say, the god of goats. John wondered briefly if the teacher's mutant ability was to bore others to sleep.

_Click_. There was something comforting about hitting that little button, almost like having his lighter back. A little obsessive compulsive habit that helped him stay calm and focused under the most trying conditions. It was not quite the same. But almost.

_Click. _John ached for fire. He yearned for it in ways he didn't think possible. Sure burning stuff was fun, a joy, really to see how destructive he could be. But just manipulating the flames into figures, seeing how long he could stretch it or how compact he could make it before it extinguished had been a part of his daily life. It was like a piece of him was missing. If he hadn't fallen so out of favor with his current headmistress he would ask her to set the danger room up just to burn things. That however, was not an option any time soon. John shoved away the thought that it was after all his own fault.

_Click. Click._ No, he decided suddenly, it was _not_ the same with a pen top as his lighter, but he thought that he had seen something out of the corner of his eye. Could he be annoying his fellow classmates?

_Click_. _Click. _There was only one way to find out.

_Click. Click. Click. Click. Clickity-click._ John pushed his finger up and down on the pen with a speed his classmate the super speedster Pietro would have been proud of. He couldn't be sure, watching only the right side of Bobby's face, but it seemed to have tightened.

_Clickity clickity clickity clickity clickity clickity clickity clickity –click._

"Will you stop that?" Bobby hissed quietly, turning in his seat.

"What?" John asked loudly trying to draw the attention of the teacher.

Mission accomplished. "Mr. Drake, will you turn around and pay attention!" Mr. Rupert reprimanded. So even the little god of goats had his uses.

With a last glare at John, Bobby turned around in his seat, sliding down slightly, sulking. 'Poor Bobby got called out by a teacher? How will he ever survive?' John mocked silently.

Rogue reached her hand out to grasp Bobby's left in a show of support, but he shrugged it off as well. John bit back a chuckle as she turned and glared his way as well. This, too, was apparently his fault.

John searched the back of the room to see if someone else had noticed and wasn't disappointed to see Kitty staring at him thoughtfully. Although a year or two younger than the students around her, Kitty was apparently some kind of math and engineering wonder kid and had been skipped up to more appropriate classes. She didn't seem to approve or disapprove of his actions, but was just studying him. He winked at her and was pleased to see her blush at being caught. She quickly ducked her head, making furious and no doubt illiterate notes.

John sighed. It did no use to him to get a rise out of her when the Popsicle couldn't see it. It was the perfect plan to get back at Bobby and get out of the mansion for once and for all, using Kitty. Bobby couldn't very well object if Kitty and John started a relationship, not without risking his own. But John could tell that he couldn't just watch either. What to do, Iceman? Catch-22.

So far, that part of John's master plan seemed to be working, so long as he had Kitty alone. When they were alone, Kitty seemed not to mind that he was a convicted terrorist and treated him like she would any other friend. The other part of his plan was completely hampered by the fact that everyone else _did _seem to mind about that whole convicted terrorist bit. Unfortunately for both plans, Marie had interrupted his tour with Kitty and threatened to tell Bobby of what she had seen. Since then Kitty had joined the rest of the school population in not so subtly avoiding him.

John could care less if Marie told, in fact, he eagerly anticipated the distress that poor Bobby would go through when she did tell. John took a minute to fantasize about what it had been like when Bobby's girlfriend confided in him that his wannabe girlfriend had been hot and sweaty with his worst enemy, granted from racing, but still. Had his face tightened? Had the room dipped sharply in temperature? Or had he stared impassively trying to keep his feelings undercover to quell any rumors and Rogue's fears? Was he thinking about it right now, as he mused about how much he hated John? Wondering what he was up to and how Kitty could be so foolish?

Clearly Kitty at least somewhat reciprocated Bobby's feelings for her. Enough so that she cared what he thought unfortunately, which was evident not only by her reaction to Marie's threat earlier in the week, but to John's presence outside the elevator. Granted, it hadn't seemed like her and Bobby were exactly getting overly friendly in the elevator; if anything Kitty had looked like she couldn't wait to get away from him. John once again wondered if he needed to do anything at all to ruin Bobby's relationship with the ghost girl. Bobby seemed to be doing a bang up job on his own. However, her power would still be damn useful, John thought, mindful of the metal against his ankle. Tormenting Bobby was just the icing, really.

It had been a mistake to not try and follow her earlier despite Marie's interruption. He could have repaired some of the damage, but he forgot himself slightly when faced with those big brown eyes. John looked over to where Marie sat pouting, her lower lip trembling in a way that was quite sexy in its innocence.

John shook himself out of that line of thinking. He had always had a soft spot for the Southern runaway, invulnerable to touch, but oh so vulnerable emotionally. She was such a mix of fiery temper and tender insecurity, it was enchanting, really, if Pyro went for that flowery romantic stuff. Which he didn't. Still, he hadn't been lying when he told her that he had been jealous of her relationship with Bobby at first and if he was into psychobabble, girly self-analyzation, he would probably admit that was what caused his deep seated hatred for Bobby to start. But all that had changed now.

John was disgusted that she could _choose_ to make herself less than what she was. Sure it was challenging to not be able to touch, but getting close to people was far over rated. And in time, he was sure that she could learn to control her powers. Bobby just obviously wasn't the right person. John was melded to fire until he was unsure where one element stopped and the other began, but Rogue . . . she could have had that connection with _anything_ if she just reached for it. She could have been the supreme goddess and she had thrown it all away.

And for what? Bobby Drake?

Further proof that John should have killed him when he had the chance, for helping destroy something so beautiful. Although his failure was unfortunately not for lack of trying, John reminded himself bitterly.

"Mr. Allerdyce, are you listening at all?" Mr. Rupert's angry shout broke through his reverie.

John was displeased to discover that while he had been lost in thoughts of Rogue and revenge, he had been being called on repeatedly, to the point where now everyone was staring at him. Rogue blushed and turned away as their eyes met and John allowed himself to smile at Bobby triumphantly before responding to his teacher.

"No," He admitted truthfully.

The poor teacher just sputtered, unable to decide what to say to that frank admission. John heard Kitty giggle from behind him although she tried to stifle it. "And why, pray tell, are you not?"

John shrugged his shoulders, seeming to ponder his answer. "Because you're boring?"

This time Kitty couldn't stop her laughter, although she was joined by a few others. Bobby rolled his eyes and started rifling through his notes, although John noticed Marie was fighting a small smile.

"Mr. Allerdyce, let me remind you that your position is a bit more precarious than others here," Mr. Rupert threatened, drawing close to John's desk. "I could cause trouble for you that would go far beyond an hour's detention, do you understand? I can only imagine what they would do to someone like you in prison-"

"I don't think Ms. Monroe will be exactly pleased to hear you threatening one of her students, no matter what his 'position' as you put it," Kitty's voice rang out from the back, interrupting, and keeping John from tearing the head off of the man in front of him, fire or no fire. "I would be careful if you value your job."

"Miss . . . Pryde, is it?" the teacher said, turning his glare her way. "I don't appreciate being threatened."

Kitty wouldn't back down, however. "Neither, I imagine, do your students." She flipped open her notes, mechanical pencil held ready as if to take notes. "Now, we were discussing the difference between absolute and conditionally divergent equations, correct?"

Mr. Rupert continued to stare at her for a moment and John was afraid that he wouldn't go back to his lesson. He didn't care if he got in trouble, but he knew that Kitty was the type of girl who did. Or at least he thought she was; nerds usually were. He wasn't used to having people stick up for him. The Brotherhood had been mostly every man for himself, with everyone fighting for positioning. Getting her in trouble would most likely jeopardize his plans, not to mention their lunch date.

Eventually, Mr. Rupert did go back to his blackboard, attacking the equations with chalk in a way that John could only assume his teacher would rather have aimed at him. A small note fluttered onto his lap and turning John could see it had been guided there with the help of a mutant sitting next to Kitty he could only assume was telekinetic.

_Hey Sparky,_

_Rupert's an ass, don't let him scare you. And more over, you're right, he is unsufferably boring. I could do this with my eyes closed and I somehow get the feeling you could too. Full of surprises, aren't you? _

_See you at lunch,_

_Kitty_

The handwriting was so incredibly perfect and feminine, it fit her all too well. The content, however. John cocked an eyebrow at her. Apparently he wasn't the only one full of surprises. Although, the Sparky nickname would have to go.

The thought of missing lunch with Kitty and thus a chance to further his agenda kept John from anymore blatant class interruptions although he did continue to find his gaze straying towards Rogue. She would catch him every so often and look away. Even better, every once in a while Bobby would catch him and apparently try to use his powers with his eyes from the icy glare he gave. All in all the last twenty minutes of class were not a complete waste of time.

All the same, John booked it as soon as class was dismissed. He wasn't afraid of a little man like Rupert, but it was more the principle of the thing. Class was over, why dawdle? Get out while the getting was good.

Unfortunately, that was one view that John and Bobby had always shared and John found himself reach the stairwell at the same time as his former roomie. Fortunately, Bobby seemed disinclined to speak so John reached the second floor in peace. Not many students headed to their rooms between classes, but John was seriously considering ditching History after the fun and fabulous time he had just had in Calculus.

As soon as he turned the corner to the boys' dormitory, however, Bobby still beside him, John knew something was up. Bobby's room was the other direction, and his class a floor below. Sure enough, as soon as John had opened the door to his room, Bobby shoved him into it from behind following him in and attempting to lock the door, before realizing the lock was on the outside.

"Oh, Bobby, what will your girlfriend say?" John mocked. "Unfortunately, I don't swing that way, so unless you're planning on letting me take a swing _at_ you, I suggest you leave." John made a big show of turning as if dismissing Bobby and began unpacking his Calculus book onto his desk.

"I'm going to tell you this once and only once. Stay away from her," Bobby's voice was dangerously low.

"Look, your girlfriend is pretty and all that, but do you really think I would waste my time with a human?" John scoffed. "She's less than human when you think about it, considering she was one of us and chose to destroy herself."

"Marie?" Bobby looked confused, but that too was soon replaced by anger. "What have you done to Marie?"

John chuckled, turning. "So you were here about your _other_ girlfriend, Bobby? I've done nothing, to either of them – yet. Marie is your girlfriend, so I suppose your caveman behavior there is understandable, although I doubt she'd care much for it. But what I do to and _with_ Kitty is none of your concern. You made your choice, Bobby. I still have time to make mine."

"No, you don't. Stay away from Kitty! She's too good to be caught up with the likes of you and too nice to tell you to take a short walk off a long pier, so do us both a favor and leave her the hell alone!" Bobby shouted.

So, the golden boy could swear. That was an interesting turn of events. John realized wryly that he might have had more than a little to do with Bobby's transformation from defensive pansy to aggressive control-freak, but it wasn't much of an improvement in his opinion. He bit back the urge to shout that he'd do whatever he'd want with whomever he wanted, thank you very much. If he was going to get a plan to work he needed to think before he acted. Something that did not come naturally to him, he'd be the first to admit.

"I'd lower your voice, Iceman. There's plenty of rumors about you and Kitty already and I doubt she'd appreciate you adding to them by shouting about her to the corners of the school," John kept his voice calm and was gratified to see the utter confusion that it affected in Bobby. "I'll tell you _this_ only once. As much as you hate me and believe me it's mutual, it would be in your best interest to listen. Kitty Pryde is an intelligent young woman and she doesn't need you to make her decisions for her. In fact, I have no doubt she'd resent you for attempting to do so."

Bobby's face confirmed that he knew John was telling the truth, but John didn't stop there. "So I'd run along to your next class before you ruin your no doubt perfect attendance record with a pointless activity. If Kitty wants me to stay away, she'll tell me herself. And if you want me to stay away? Try and _make me_."

Bobby glared at him one last time, before going over and practically yanking the door off its hinges. He didn't leave before turning to issue one last threat. "I may not be able to make you stay away from Kitty, true. But I know I wouldn't want to be you if the Wolverine finds out what you're up to."

The slam of the door had an ominous ring to it as Bobby's words sank in. John wasn't afraid of anything, or at least maintained that attitude. But he'd be foolish if he didn't admit that the feral mutant was dangerous and more than a little intimidating. And protective enough to make Bobby look like a teddy bear.

John looked at the note peeking out of his calculus book. It was too late to back out of his plan with Kitty now, even if he wanted to. He'd just have to be very, very careful and avoid Logan at all costs. With any luck by the time Logan caught scent of it, John would be long gone, with or without Miss Pryde.

John jumped in spite of himself as the window next to him rattled loudly against the bars in the wind. All the same, maybe being in a boring history class with tons of children as witnesses wasn't a bad idea. He grabbed his books, ran out the door and slid into his history seat in record time, making it the first time in his career at Xavier's both before and after his stint as a criminal that he was at class on time.


	7. Ch 7 Bobby breaks the ice

**A/N: Funny how the Christmas gift of the X-Men trilogy can be inspiring. If anyone is still reading, Merry Christmas. I hope not to disappoint.**

It had been one week since Bobby had lost his mind. At least that's what he affectionately referred to the incident where he had followed his former roommate, threatened him and then most improbably of all had been out reasoned.

In the week that had passed, Bobby had been the picture perfect boyfriend. John had been right; Bobby had made his choice, or at least it had been made for him, and he needed to live with it. So he had done everything he could. Flowers, picnics, late night talking while watching the stars, Bobby had pulled out all the stops. Except for some reason his girlfriend kept throwing stop _signs_ at him.

He had no idea what had caused her to suddenly change from being over eager to explore her returned ability to touch to shying away from contact from most people, especially her boyfriend. But it was beginning to wear a little thin. Particularly because Bobby knew his whole heart wasn't in it.

Which is how he found himself in the back garden of the mansion, sitting on a bench that only two weeks ago had been the scene for a favorite memory. Here he had sat and iced up his tennis shoes to skate with Kitty staring at the fountain where they had almost kissed. His plan to see a movie with Rogue had been firmly rejected. She claimed that she wasn't interested in seeing anything playing, despite the fact that Bobby knew she had sighed dreamily each time she had passed the movie posters downtown. If Bobby didn't know better he would have said she was avoiding him.

Bobby heard voices laughing down the steps toward the fountain and panicked. It was almost as if he was cheating on Rogue by returning to the scene where he almost had. He jumped off the bench and ran to hide himself behind on of the ornamental trees that lined the garden.

The couple came into view and Bobby was surprised to feel the branch he was holding start to ice up. Because standing just a few feet away was the girl he was trying _not_ to think about with the guy he hoped never to see her with.

Unfortunately, it seemed like every time he saw Kitty she was with Pyro. At meals, in the hallways, in the Rec Room – they had suddenly become inseparable. Granted, Bobby hadn't seen Kitty often and hadn't talked to her at all since the incident in the elevator. It seemed like he couldn't speak to her lately without ordering her around. John had been infuriatingly right on that point as well. Kitty Pryde didn't like to be told what to do.

The threat of Logan was the only card he had and apparently that hadn't much worked either. It was beyond frustrating to watch John get close to her and know he could do nothing to stop it. Nothing without hurting Rogue that is. And after the way he had treated Kitty the last few times they had talked, Bobby wasn't even sure that she would choose him over his one-time roommate if she had a choice.

John could be charming when he wanted something and it was obvious to Bobby at least that whether or not his intentions were noble, he wanted Kitty. And Bobby doubted that nobility was a quality that described John well if at all.

Kitty had stopped by the side of the fountain, as if remembering a tender memory as well. Bobby felt equally parts joy and guilt to think that it meant that much to her when he knew it shouldn't have happened. All the same, he couldn't help being glad it had.

"Come on, Kit Kat, the pool is this way," John said, looking impatiently at her.

Bobby felt a rush of anger. That was _his_ nickname for Kitty and one that she didn't particularly care for.

"I've told you before not to call me that," she reminded John, although with little feeling in her voice.

John's expression darkened. "Why? Because it's reserved for your precious _Bobby_?"

"No, because I don't like it." Kitty shrugged. "And we agreed at our first lunch, if I'm going to be your friend, you need to at least pretend to not want to kill my other um, friends."

"Fine," John conceded, moving over to take Kitty's hand and drag her away from the fountain. "Can we go now?"

Bobby was gratified to see her phase out of his grasp, but became slightly worried watching the scowl that passed over John's face. Whatever was going on here, John wasn't fooling him at least.

John seemed to recover quickly and changed tactics, making his voice soft. "What exactly is with the fountain, Kitty?"

She smiled at John, the type of shy smile that always made Bobby feel like he had done something amazing to deserve. Bobby wanted to hit John. He didn't deserve anything from Kitty.

"You know I almost got my first kiss at this fountain," she confessed, still smiling.

"Oh-ho! _Now_ we're getting somewhere," John laughed mockingly taking a seat on the bench that Bobby had vacated only minutes before. "How do you _almost_ get your first kiss?"

Kitty blanched, as if suddenly realizing what she had said and to whom. "Forget it. I shouldn't have said anything. You wouldn't understand."

"Right, because I'm the devil incarnate; I only _look_ like a teenage boy." John threw up his hands. "Look, either you trust me and we're friends or you don't and I'm leaving."

Don't fall for it, Kitty, Bobby silently wished.

John was halfway up the stairs before he stopped to deliver his parting shot. "You know, I thought you were different. I thought that you actually cared."

"John! John, wait!" Kitty rushed up to take his hand in hers and lead him back to the fountain. "I do care; it's just the memory is a bit painful."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "See, there's something about a first kiss. It's special. A girl thinks about it her whole life. It has to be just right. Don't laugh!" Kitty reprimanded. "Anyway, the setting was perfect, the build-up was perfect, the guy was . . . well, as almost perfect as he could be. Just. Not completely available? And I knew that." Kitty paused. "I shouldn't have even left my room. I don't know. I was pretty stupid to think he cared about me."

Bobby felt lower than low listening to Kitty tell John about that night. She had thought he was perfect and in two weeks he had her doubting herself so much so that she was confiding in Pyro of all people! And worse here he was like a voyeur watching the entire scene.

John responded in a soft voice that Bobby could hardly believe was coming from the rough mutant. "You're not stupid, Kitty. Drake is stupid for letting you go to be with that traitor."

"I didn't say it was Bobby!" Kitty squeaked, pulling back suddenly.

"You didn't have to. I've seen the way he looks at you," John said.

Bobby started. How did he look at Kitty? Like a friend. Like he did all his other friends. Certainly not like he looked at his _girl_friend.

Kitty gulped and continued. "And you shouldn't say that about Marie. She made her own choice. I think it was rather brave, honestly."

"You would," John replied quietly. He turned to her and smiled in a way that made Bobby's skin crawl. "You know the best way to erase a bad memory, right?"

Kitty wasn't watching him, but rather staring at the fountain a wistful smile on her face. "No, how?" Kitty turned to find John was leaning in rather close to her.

"Make a new one," he whispered leaning in even closer.

Bobby would later say that he didn't consciously think about what happened next. All he knew is that he couldn't let Kitty's first kiss be with a traitorous villain. And so he reacted.

A stream of ice flew at his feet allowing him to slide like a surfer across the grass, faster than anyone could have run and knock John onto his ass, when he was less than an inch from Kitty's lips. He thought he heard Kitty scream something, but he was concentrating too much on rearranging John's face to pay much attention to anything else. John was taken by surprise, but soon landed a punch or two of his own. Bobby reached back to take one last swing, when he felt his arms being held by a pair of steel ones and he was forcibly lifted off the ground.

John was bleeding, a small cut at the corner of his mouth from Bobby's first punch and Bobby could feel that his own eye was swelling rapidly, but it didn't hurt half as much as watching Kitty literally run right through him over to where John lay.

"Are you okay?" she asked, leaning over to help him up.

John didn't even look at her, his eyes not leaving Bobby's gaze, seeming to dance at the pain he saw there. "I'll be fine."

Kitty turned on Bobby next and her eyes were blazing. He had never seen her this angry. In fact he couldn't remember ever seeing Kitty get angry at anyone. "What is your _problem_? Are you insane?" she lowered her voice slightly, looking at Piotr who was gentleman enough to let go of Bobby's arms and take a step back to give them some privacy. "Or is it so wrong that someone finds me attractive? You don't want me, even as a friend, but no one else can have me? What did I do that was so horrible?"

Her quiet voice affected him more than her anger ever could and Bobby instantly felt like the world's biggest jerk. "Kitty, I'm sorry," Bobby replied, sincerely. "I was just trying to prot-"

"Don't even finish that sentence, Robert Drake!" Kitty warned. "You're not in charge of protecting me. You're not in charge of anything to do with me. And until this possessive jerk goes away and my friend Bobby decides to come back? Stay away from me altogether!"

Kitty turned and ran, but not before, Bobby heard her try and choke back sobs.

"Kitty, wait!" he said moving towards her, but Kitty had phased _through _the stairs and into the mansion, making following her impossible.

John cast a look to make sure that Piotr was out of hearing range before leaning over to whisper in Bobby's ear. "You know what's tragic about this whole situation, of course? I'm talking Shakespearean level tragic." Without waiting for an answer, John continued. "It's that you're right. I could care less about Katherine Pryde's inner feelings; I'm just using her to get what I want. And the way I see it? There's nothing you can do about it."

Before Piotr could cross the garden, John had a bloody nose to match his bloody lip.


	8. Ch 8 Jealous Girlfriend

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Nice to know I didn't completely turn everyone off. Hope you enjoy this one as well.**

Rogue knew that she should feel angered or jealous as she watched Piotr in vain try and separate her boyfriend from their one time classmate. He was defending the honor of another girl. A girl that didn't need protection, Kitty could be as invulnerable to touch as Marie herself had been when she first came to the mansion. Maybe that was what attracted Bobby . . . a girl that he felt he couldn't hurt, although he had been proven wrong on both girls' accounts. Stupid boys always saw things purely in their physical dimensions, forgetting the mental and emotional aspect of relationships. But she wasn't jealous.

Marie knew that she should have been gratified by her boyfriend's recent displays of kindness. He had been so attentive, bringing gifts, saying all the right things, arranging the perfect dates, what any teenage girl could want. If she didn't look into his eyes. When she looked into his eyes she knew he was going through the motions for whatever reasons. To be fair, Marie had been doing that herself for far too long.

At first she had thought that her she wasn't jealous of Kitty because she was too secure in her relationship. What she and Bobby had was too noble and too pure to be disrupted by a school girl crush. When the rumors swept through the school Marie wasn't bothered because she didn't care much what others thought. It was what made her the Rogue. What gave her the courage to do what she wanted without anyone's opinion mattering – whether that be her choice of attire or "curing" her mutation. The past week, and indeed even now, watching the scene unfold before her window, she realized that she wasn't jealous because she just didn't care who Bobby was with anymore.

John, however, was another story.

It was ironic that she had looked at her window – the same window where she had once seen her boyfriend and good friend share an intimate moment ice skating - at just the right moment to see that same girl having an intimate moment with John. And it was completely apparent which one bothered her more. Completely apparent and completely unfair – to Kitty, to Bobby, to John, to herself. She wanted the one boy she could never have and apparently in some sort of cosmic revenge it looked like Kitty Pryde would return the favor of being one more obstacle to that goal.

So Marie had watched half horrified, half relieved when Bobby interrupted. Horrified that John might be hurt; relieved that the seemingly tender moment had been interrupted.

It all made a certain sense now. Her relationship with Bobby had been strained since John defected although neither would admit that was the cause. Why she had been so cold to Kitty since the incident in the hallway had nothing to do with betraying Bobby's trust and everything to do with simple jealousy. Why she had started doubting her decision to be cured not after Bobby pulled away, but when John had stared at her in disgust. Why she was so quick to forgive someone that had tried to kill the only people in this world she considered family.

There was nothing she could do about it, his reaction to the news that she was no longer "one of them" had shown her that definitively if nothing else. Still all the same, as she watched Mr. Worthington and Piotr lead the two boys into the building, she wanted, no _needed_, to make sure that John hadn't been hurt too badly.

She ran down the stairs two at a time to the infirmary, hesitating only slightly as she saw up close the damage Bobby had inflicted on John's face.

"What are you doing here?" he snarled noticing her lingering in the doorway. "Here to gloat about how your boyfriend sucker punched me twice? Because I wouldn't if I were you."

Marie took a small step back, intimidated slightly by his fiery words. He always had been passionate about everything he did, which Marie admitted was one of the parts of him she found attractive.

"You know he wasn't defending your honor but that of the fair Katherine, right?" He also talked too much, which was much less endearing.

"I came . . . I came to see if you're alright," Marie said, finding her voice and stepping into the room.

He seemed a little taken aback by that. It was replaced quickly with a sneer. "Why would you do that? Or have you forgotten? I'm dangerous!"

"Because we used to be friends, once upon a time." She answered softly.

"We were never friends." John snorted, but he couldn't seem to meet her eyes as he said it.

"Sure we were. You, me, Bobby." When he didn't respond, Marie grew bolder. "And maybe we coulda been something . . . well, something else, you said as much in the hallway."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Marie wished them back. For one thing they were completely traitorous. No matter what feelings she may have discovered or think she had discovered; she was still _with_ Bobby. But more painful was the absolute look of horror that crossed John's face as if he had just said something that was too disgusting to contemplate.

"I also mentioned that it would have been a mistake," John replied, suppressed anger in every word. "I would never crossbreed or even be seen with one of your kind. Especially one who chose to inflict it upon herself. It's a pity. But it's no wonder Bobby's moved on, too."

Forgetting everything she had just considered and focusing only on the pain, Marie crossed the distance between them in two strides, slapping his face with a resounding _crack!_ The Bobby comment was like water off her back, but the loathing with which he had said 'your kind' had filled her with hurt and regret.

She strode out of the med bay, pausing only momentarily to look at the Bunsen burners in the chemistry lab next door, chilled by what she saw.

Marie shook her head to clear it as she headed back upstairs toward Miss Monroe's office. She was so angry; she was imagining things that was all. She figured she should find Bobby sooner rather than later and let him tell her whatever he wanted to before it was twisted and corrupted by the teenage rumor mill. Assaulting another student, even a convicted felon was sure to get him in some sort of trouble and Marie would play the doting girlfriend one last time. Considering how she really felt, now would be an inopportune time to confess.

Unless you're trying to get back at Kitty by keeping the guy she wants out of reach, a voice suggested in her head. Marie tossed that thought aside as ridiculously petty. After all if Kitty and Bobby got together that would leave John free. Free for any of "his kind" however. Never for her.

Marie was not surprised to find the Headmistress' office doors closed barely muffling the loud voices arguing inside. She was surprised that none of them seemed to be the voice of her boyfriend.

"How long you going to keep up this charade, 'Ro? We can't do this!" Logan shouted.

"We have to, Logan. Don't you see? The kids here need us! They need a place where they can be safe," Storm's voice, equally loud was more pleading.

"Well, lately, if you haven't noticed this place isn't too safe. The popsicle busting that loser's nose is one thing and not completely unexpected, but discipline in this school has gone to hell! Did you know I almost had to tear Kitty Pryde off another girl in self-defense class last week?" Logan's voice was exasperated.

Ororo's voice was too soft to make out, but fortunately Logan continued to bellow.

"Damn straight that's not like Kitty. When the straight A student types are suddenly out for blood there's something seriously wrong with this situation!" Logan took a deep breath.

A third voice stepped in, one that Marie finally placed as belonging to Mr. Worthington. "From a business standpoint, Mr. Logan is accurate as well. Something's got to give, Ororo. Since Mr. Allerdyce arrived we've been placed in a rather precarious situation. You can't be a school and a rehab center, not if you want to keep recruiting and advertising to parents that this is a safe alternative to the type of life they are afraid their children will follow. A life that Mr. Allerdyce chose for himself. Unless something changes and fast, you'll have to close the school or at least regain permission from each student's parents regarding the changed circumstances. It's not fair to the students or to the parents to represent one thing and provide another. More importantly, I'm not sure it's completely legal."

The voices grew softer and Marie moved from the door, too horrified to hear Miss Monroe's response. They were either going to have to send John to jail or close the school? She knew which choice Bobby would choose in a heartbeat and probably most of the other students as well, but she knew that if there was a chance to save John this was the only place and the last try. And despite the hateful words that he had just thrown at her, Marie couldn't help but want to save him. A high-level security prison would cement once and for all that Magneto had been right and John would be lost forever to a life of crime and terrorism, however long that life might last.

All thoughts of finding Bobby fled her mind. She needed time to think this over; come up with a plan that could save both John and the school.

She headed upstairs only to almost trip over someone huddled against the stair rail.

"So you heard all that, too," Jubilee asked, trying to dry her eyes quickly so Rogue wouldn't see.

Marie was taken aback. The Asian-American teen always seemed so full of laughter and joy, she wasn't sure she had ever seen her without a smile, let alone crying. Jubilation – her name fit her. Even after being rescued from Stryker's camp and the death of Dr. Grey the first time, Jubilee had been the one to put her own fears aside and do her best to cheer up all the residents of the mansion in her own special way. "I heard enough," Marie finally answered, lowering herself to the steps to sit beside Jubilee.

"Well, I hope you saved that letter," Jubilee responded.

"What letter?" Marie's mind was occupied with other things, she was having trouble understanding what Jubilee could be referring to.

"You know . . . from your parents. When the school closes, you'll have some place to go." Jubilee fumbled with a tissue, but the tears didn't show any sign of stopping.

"Oh, that letter." Marie wasn't sure how to answer. She was sure that if anyone would find a way to keep the school open it was the three people behind the doors behind them. She opened her mouth to tell her friend that same thing, but Jubilee had moved on.

"I'm a runaway, did you know that? I had been living on the streets for two years when my powers kicked in. Scott found me when I was living in a mall. At first I ran away, you know? Why would these people want to help me? Why was I worthy of saving when there were so many other girls on the streets?" Jubilee's voice was small.

"Jubilee . . ." Marie tried once again, hating the feeling of being so helpless.

"Don't! Just . . . don't. It's different for you _and_ Kitty. Both of your parents want you. You have someplace to go. And that's why it's easy for the two of you to want him to stay," Jubilee's voice grew acidic at the last sentence.

"What?" Whatever was going on with Jubilee and Kitty, it was beyond Marie's powers of perception.

"_Pyro_. Kitty spends every moment with him now and you . . . you'd rather they close the school and let him be spared. Never mind that saving him would mean destroying the rest of us. Because you have another choice. Never mind that so many others don't have a place to go. Me, Pete, Bobby, so many others? You would trade all of us for _him_." Before Marie could disagree, Jubilee had sprung to her feet. "Don't even try and deny it. I've seen the way you look at each other. I picked up a bit of people sense while living on the streets. I just wish for once you'd stop being so damn selfish and realize what he's doing to the rest of us."

"Jubilee!" Marie reached for her hand but the girl slipped through it with a skill that almost made it seem like she shared her best friend's phasing power. She was up the stairs before Marie could stand up.

Marie sat back down with a thump thinking of all the things she had been accused of. Was she that obvious in her attraction to John or was Jubilee just perceptive? Would she really rather they close the school? Was she really seen as selfish?

The whole conversation made her feel completely unsettled and frustrated. She clenched her fists before throwing them down and standing up . . . and a spark flew from her fingers.

Marie felt lightheaded suddenly and tried doing it again, but nothing happened. But she couldn't deny what earlier she had thought had been mere coincidence may be something far more sinister. After slapping John and stalking angrily away all the fires in the chemistry room had flared – once.


	9. Ch 9 Kitty Lashes Out

**A/N: Again, thank you to all those who reviewed. Hope you enjoy this chapter - for some reason it was one of my favorite chapters to write so far.**

Kitty hadn't stopped phasing from Bobby and John and Piotr and the fountain and everything that was currently wrong with her life until she reached the gym. Not the one she wanted, granted. Right now she craved the highest level Danger Room setting she could get, a chance to phase and destroy everything in sight until she was tired enough to give up and let the pain of the lasers replace the pain she felt inside.

But no, she had been told in no certain terms that she wasn't worthy of that kind of workout. So here she was, kicking and punching at the innocent red bag in front of her until she couldn't see it through her tears.

That made _two_ almost first kisses both ruined by Bobby Drake. If she had allowed herself to think and not feel, Kitty could have admitted that she didn't want her first kiss to be with John Allerdyce. Despite what others may think she didn't entirely trust her former enemy. At the same time, she couldn't believe that he was as bad as the others thought either. In spite of his bad choices, he was just another person and he had needs, including the need for companionship. And if Kitty was the only one to provide that, well, wasn't that living Xavier's dream?

_Xavier's dead, Kit._ The voice in her head sounded a lot like Bobby, but lately every voice and object for that matter in some way reminded her of him. Another plus for hanging out with Pyro, they both had agreed it was better not to mention Bobby.

While it may have seemed obvious to the entire mansion, Kitty hadn't realized until she was by the fountain once more that she missed Bobby more than someone should miss a friend, even a best friend. She couldn't lie to herself anymore. She wanted more. And she could never have it. Bobby was happy with Marie and would never forgive her for screwing that up. If truth be told, Kitty wasn't sure she'd forgive herself, either.

But why wouldn't he let her move on? Why every time she had finally managed to begin to put it behind her did he show up feigning concern and protection only to shut down on her again as soon as she dared to hope? She could take care of herself – if she had outmaneuvered the unstoppable Juggernaut, she could certainly handle a little flame thrower.

It was enough to drive a girl to distraction. Or at the least, home to Illinois. Not for the first time, Kitty considered how easy it would be to go back home to a normal life. Unlike a lot of students her parents were supportive and loving of her, mutation and all. In fact, they would be thrilled if she decided to return. Her powers were not overt and Kitty had almost precision control, she could fit in fine at a local high school, something not everyone at the Institute could say. She could be applying to MIT or Harvard by fall or take a year off and explore opportunities at Oxford. She could forget about saving the world with a team that didn't want her and go save herself.

As tempting as it sounded, Kitty knew better than to make decisions while upset. And so she stood to get a few more reps in on the punching bag, taking a deep breath to make sure this time was more exercise than emotion. Both were therapeutic, but the former came at considerably less risk of physical injury.

She had only gotten two kicks in before she heard the door open softly behind her. _Please don't be, Bobby. Let be anyone in the world but Bobby, _she softly prayed.

"Is this a private ass-kicking or can anyone volunteer to be the dummy?" Logan's voice growled behind her.

Kitty wondered in vain if she could amend her prayer. _Anyone in the world except Bobby __**or**__ Logan_.

She gave the defenseless punching bag one last roundhouse kick almost screaming in frustration before she turned to her visitor.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, making sure that there were no traces of tears anywhere on her face.

"You think you're the only one in this school frustrated, kid?" Logan smiled in a way that was not entirely friendly.

Kitty was in no mood to back down. In fact, she hadn't thought she had it in her to ever feel the way she did now, but she realized was in the mood to pick a fight. Or maybe she was just suicidal considering the only option standing in front of her was the Wolverine. "I'm not a kid. And I'm sick and tired of everyone around here treating me like one!"

"I didn't come down to argue with you, I came to get out some aggression. Leave if you like, or stay, but I'm done." Kitty was surprised at the tone in which he replied, it was nothing like the gruff, but tender one he normally used with his students, but hard. She didn't back down but stood up straight and defiant.

"Then let's fight it out. One on one. I beat you and I'm back on the team and you stop treating me like a child. You beat me and I suck it up and deal." The idea popped out of Kitty's mouth before it ever popped into her head.

"Now, Half-pint, why would I do a thing like that? Things already are the way I want them to be and we both know that I wouldn't get near enough a workout from the deal," Logan seemed nonetheless amused by her proposition.

"Fine," Kitty replied coolly. "I just didn't peg you as the type to back down from a challenge." She gathered her things as if to leave.

His voice stopped her at the door. "I'm not going to go easy on you."

She smiled and dropped her pool towel. "I didn't ask you to."

The two faced off on the large rubber mats that lined the lower gym, taking a minute to take stock of the other for a moment. Kitty knew she was insane for suggesting the idea and even crazier for actually going through with it, but she wasn't going to back down now. This was her chance to prove herself. Looking into Wolverine's eyes, she didn't think that he was kidding about not going easy on her.

They started slowly at first, Kitty took a few jabs that Logan easily blocked; then he tried a few kicks that she narrowly avoided. The pace quickly picked up in both speed and intensity. Before long though they were both sweating from the exertion of attack and counterattack, back and forth. While Kitty found herself in the defensive position more often than not, she had surprisingly gotten a few decent licks in, usually exploiting her knowledge of Wolverine's patterned moves to _outthink_ him and be two steps ahead. The hits he got in were more of the brute strength variety although he had, thankfully, kept his claws sheathed the entire time.

He couldn't turn off his healing factor though, and as time wore on Kitty was getting more bruised and tired and the Wolverine was still going strong. It was only a matter of time before she lost and they both knew it. Unless Kitty started using her own powers to her advantage.

She let Wolverine kick her legs out from under her, and then jumped to phase through him, meaning to deliver a final kick to his back. But as she phased through him she felt as if her very atoms were being crushed, a pain unlike anything she ever felt before. Instead of delivering a finishing blow, she crumpled to her knees, grimacing.

Logan, unaware that anything was remiss, turned and kicked her over before pinning her to the floor. "You fought hard, kid, but I win."

Thoughts of winning or losing had long left Kitty's mind, filled only with the pain that she had felt on passing through Wolverine's body. She could walk through steel, iron, _anything_ and had never felt any pain whatsoever.

Suddenly, it clicked. The adamantium in Wolverine's skeleton was the most dense substance in the world. When she phased, she moved her atoms to the spaces around most objects there was room to spare. Apparently that was not so with Logan's skeleton.

Kitty refused to let him see her weakness however. She had lost, but she would maintain her pride. She accepted the proffered hand, before turning to leave, trying to hide the residual pain that still tingled in her very atoms. "Congratulations," she said softly, although she couldn't help one last jab at the unfairness of it all. "I'll keep my seat at the kiddie table for now."

"You want us to stop treating you like a kid? Stop acting like one. You gotta re-gain control of your emotions and think before you speak. Lately, you're acting on emotion and that's _dangerous._" Kitty tried to move away from him, but Logan refused to let go of her wrist. Kitty flinched at the pressure.

"Are you hurt?" he asked suddenly concerned, picking up on even that slight movement.

"No," Kitty lied although she knew he could tell. Mr. Logan swore he could "smell" these things. She didn't intend to admit anything that could be construed as the fact that she couldn't keep up. But apparently that was exactly what she had done.

"This is what I'm talking about, acting like a kid," Logan growled, angrily. "I didn't mean to hurt you, but if I did, say something and let's get you fixed up."

"You didn't hurt me," Kitty replied, still refusing to give in. This much at least was true. Kitty had done this to herself.

Logan looked perplexed as he no doubt could sense her sincerity now and couldn't reconcile it with her earlier lie. Kitty felt like she could _see_ the wheels turning in his head and while he may not work through problems as quickly as she did, Logan wasn't stupid. "Why are you still here?" he asked finally.

"What?" Kitty rolled her eyes. "You were lecturing me. Shouldn't I be listening?"

"That hasn't been stopping you lately. Why haven't you phased out of my grip?" Logan asked.

Kitty felt her heart drop to her stomach. "I was being polite. I could any time I wanted to."

"Right." Logan smiled and she knew that he had figured it out. "So do it."

"Sure." Kitty gulped nervously. Before she hadn't expected it to hurt. This time as she pulled her wrist through Logan's reinforced finger bones, the anticipation of the pain seemed to magnify it and she let out a gasp of pain, clutching her wrist tightly to her chest.

"Why did you do that?" Logan shouted, eyes flashing.

"You told me to!" Kitty shouted back equally loud.

"Not if it hurt you! And you knew it would. How long have you been unable to phase? Why didn't you tell anyone?" Logan wouldn't let Kitty get a word in edgewise as he steered her toward the door. "Let's get you to the infirmary and then try and figure out why your powers aren't working."

"Logan, stop!" It was the first time Kitty had ever used his first name on it's own before and she wasn't sure if he had stopped because she asked or because he was too surprised she had dropped the 'Mr.' "My powers are working fine."

"Kitty, I appreciate you're stubborn. I know a thing or to about that myself, but you really need to stop lying." Logan looked disappointed in her almost.

"I'm not lying," she explained quickly. "I'm just not being completely honest. It's not my powers. It's yours. Well, sort of." Logan looked confused so she continued slowly. "Your skeleton is composed of adamantium. Its atoms are too close together for mine to squeeze through when I phase. At least for me to do it comfortably."

"Why weren't you going to tell me, darlin'?" Logan asked concerned.

"Because I'm not a kid and I can take care of myself, despite what Bobby says. I kept you going longer than you thought you would!" Kitty sat down on a pile of mats by the door. "I thought if you knew, you might use it to keep me off the team longer."

Logan sat next to her. "I'm not so great at this whole pep talk thing. That was always Charlie's deal. But Kit, you gotta believe me when I say the only person keeping you from being an X-Man is you." Kitty snorted in disbelief. "'Ro and I never doubted your physical ability but lately . . . since the Professor died, it's been hard on all of us, but Kitty, going off on your own, talking out in class, snapping at your classmates, picking fights with your teammates? Those little moments where you lose self-control can mean the difference between life and death in a battle."

"You're right," Kitty said, slowly.

"I am?" Logan seemed surprised that she had given in so easily.

"You are not so great at pep talks. That's bullshit and you know it," Kitty stood up only wincing slightly.

"Listen, kid, believe me or don't. But you've got great potential. Just take some time to get your head on straight. In the meantime, let's work out together."

Kitty looked at him quickly trying to gauge sincerity from his expression. "Do you mean that?"

Logan looked surprised himself. "Sure. Like you said you went toe to toe with me longer than I thought would have been possible. Plus this new world of pain I've introduced you to is the perfect way to keep you from relying too heavily on your powers, which you tend to do."

Kitty opened her mouth to argue with him, then reconsidered remembering what Logan had just told her. Maybe her new found temper really was the only thing keeping her from where she wanted to be. It was worth biting her tongue a bit if it got her back on the team. "I'd like that," she answered finally.

"Now let's see about the infirmary and get you some pain killers," Logan continued.

Kitty groaned. "You don't need any pain killers. I can keep up."

Logan smiled and this time it seemed completely heartfelt. "I've got a healing factor; you don't. You may say that now but come tomorrow? You are going to be one sore little girl." He held up his hands as if to physically ward off her protests. "I know, I know, I know. You're not a little girl. But you're going one way or another, so don't make me drag you there myself. You can't phase through me, remember?"

Kitty smiled back wryly. "I knew I shouldn't have told you that."

"Didn't give you much choice, pun'kin," Logan reminded her.

The pair traded little jabs the entire way to the infirmary, which Kitty was more than relieved to see was empty. She didn't know if she could handle round two of the pseudo duel for her honor.

She made it back to her room, uneventfully, laden down with ice packs, Icy Hot and aspirin, to see her best friend standing at her door.

"What happened to you?" Jubilee asked raising one eyebrow.

"Don't ask," Kitty laughed trying to shrug it off as nothing. It would take way too long to explain about her fight with Mr. Logan, let alone how she had gotten to the gym on a Saturday in the first place or why she was currently still in her swim wear.

"Fine," Jubilee looked a little hurt. "Your parents called, you're supposed to call back."

Jubilee started to stalk away and Kitty realized that she had been so caught up in the noble calling of helping out John, she may have been neglecting her best friend the same way Bobby was neglecting her.

"Hey, JuJuB?" she called using a nickname she knew her friend hated.

"Yeah, KitKat?" Jubilee turned, returning with an equally evil candy inspired nickname.

"I don't know about you but I am in _serious_ need of a girls' night. You know, girl talk, movies, makeup . . ." It was mostly a lie, Kitty could care less about makeup or the gossip Jubilee loved but she knew that she had to make some sort of peace offering considering the way she had ignored her friend lately.

"Makeover?" Jubilee asked with a gleam in her eye.

Kitty knew it was trouble, but also knew that she needed to do something to earn her best friend's forgiveness. "Sure, why not," she shrugged.

Jubilee squealed and came rushing over to give her friend a hug, not noticing the grimace Kitty flashed at having her sore muscles squashed. "I knew that I could count you. That witch Jessie Devereaux said that you were only moving on to your next conquest since Bobby dumped you and would drop all your other friends in a heartbeat, but I didn't listen to a word." Kitty wondered how Jubilee knew all this since she hadn't heard a word, but wisely kept her mouth shut.

"Let's skip dinner and order pizzas instead, hey, Kit? I can go back to my diet tomorrow." Despite being quite possibly one of the smallest girls in the mansion, Jubilee was forever dieting. However, after the events of this afternoon with John and Bobby, Kitty was all for avoiding the dining room and a potential scene. "And I can tell you all about my new guy – you'll never guess who asked me out earlier!"

"Sounds great, Jubes. Let me shower first and call back my mom and dad and then I'll meet you in your room, say in half an hour?" Kitty moved to open her door only to find that her muscles had stiffened in the time she had stood talking to Jubilee. She called down to her retreating friend. "Hey, Jubes? Make that an hour."

She decided to call her parents first, considering that would leave more time for a hot soak afterwards and dialed the familiar numbers quickly.

"Kitty?" Her mom's voice sounded worried, as if she had been waiting by the phone for her daughter to call.

"Yeah, Mom, it's me. Have you been answering the phone like that all day?" She tried to make the mood light but her mother was having none of it, too caught up in her own worries to be derailed.

"Kitty, I just got a phone call from one of your instructors, a Mr. Worthington?"

Kitty knew she hadn't been a model student lately, but as much as she racked her brain, she had no idea what she had done in any of Mr. Worthington's classes. "Warren? Isn't he great, Mom? He's really smart, great head for business. I take Econ with him."

"That's great, dear. He seemed to think you were a wonderful student, but he was calling about something else. Kitty, did you know that one of your classmates is a convicted felon? He blew up that clinic in Manhattan a few weeks ago – started a fire that killed three and injured a few hundred people," Terri Pryde continued, unaware that her daughter had begun to tune her out, caught up in her own thoughts.

Mr. Worthington had called her mother to tell her about JOHN? This was insane. Bobby had to have put him up to this and in doing so had totally crossed a line. Sore and tired or not she would find Bobby after this and explain in no uncertain terms that he was unwelcome in her life any longer . . . no matter how much it hurt her to imagine that fact.

She caught the last part of her mother's speech, trying to avoid imagining just that scenario. ". . . which is why they were calling all the parents to notify them, just in case of course."

"Mr. Worthington is calling everyone's parents? About John?" As soon as the words left her mouth Kitty knew she had made a mistake, but she was too relieved that this at least was not Bobby's fault that she couldn't stop herself.

The silence on the other end of the line confirmed her fears. When her mother was able to speak again, her voice sounded shaky. "So you do know this boy, Katherine."

Kitty sighed. She couldn't well deny it now. "Yeah, mom. We have a few classes together. In fact, he was here before . . ."

Kitty let her voice trail off. Before what? Before he had left to join the ranks of the FBI's Most Wanted mutant terrorist? Before he had killed innocents? Before he made his mistake? Fortunately she was saved from finishing her sentence.

"Kitty, your father and I were thinking. It's almost summer and you've sounded so unhappy in your calls and e-mails since Professor Xavier's passing . . . and with everything else. We thought you might like to come home," Mrs. Pryde's voice trembled with some emotion that Kitty largely suspected was hope.

"Mom," Kitty started. Not two hours ago she would have jumped at the chance. In fact, she was planning on calling home and suggesting it herself. But what would that prove? If Logan was right about the fact that what was keeping her from the X-Men was her own childishness, then running away at the first sign of trouble was definitely going to prove that his concerns were dead on. And after the look on Jubilee's face at the hint of spending time with her best friend, could she really tell her that she was leaving the Institute? Especially when she knew Jubilee's own history better than anyone? Despite everything that had happened recently, could she leave Bobby? Did she want to?

"Mom, I won't say that the thought hasn't occurred to me. And I do want to come this summer," Kitty heard her mother's sigh of relief on the other end of the line and hated to be the one to burst it for her. "But only for a visit."

"But Kitty, it's so dangerous there!" Her mom whispered into the phone.

"Mom, I'm a mutant. It's going to be dangerous no matter where I am, no matter how hard I try to fight it or hide it. Here . . . here I have a chance to maybe change that so the world will be less dangerous for others." Kitty was surprised by the conviction in her own voice. I mean, she tried to do the right thing and she thought that Xavier's Institute would help her figure out how to do so, but she had never realized how much she had made his dream her own.

"Kitty, I just worry about you. I love you," her mom was crying now.

"I love you, too," Kitty whispered, surprised that she herself had tears under her eyes.

When the two hung up the phone twenty minutes later, Kitty sat next to it for a moment and sobbed. She had made her choice – the right one she was convinced, even if it was not going to be easy. Now she just needed to figure out how to live with it.


End file.
